Richard Peterson—“Rick”— was born November 25, 1959, to Charlie and Darlene Peterson and grew up in a loving home in Basehor, Kansas. The oldest of six brothers, Rick had many boyhood adventures, from milking the family cow, to hopping red-eyes across the country just to see the in-flight movie—a unique benefit of his father working for TWA. Rick’s parents started a tradition of camping at Beaver Lake every summer, where Rick and his brothers grew skilled at waterskiing, even making water-ski pyramids. He enjoyed being an acolyte at Mass, especially when he got to handle the incense, and he volunteered as a firefighter for the Basehor fire department. Rick remembered fondly traveling to Italy with his cousins and his brother, Randal, when they were just teenagers and sleeping on people’s porches to see Austria on only $10 a day.
Rick went to college at KU. While studying for his business degree, he fell for the cute redhead who sat in front of him in class, and charmed her with his witty humor, his Tom Selleck mustache, and his extensive knowledge about KU basketball. He famously attended every KU basketball game of his college tenure except one—the night he and Molly had their first date. After college, Rick and Molly got married. They loved to go dancing at The Firehouse, where Rick also DJ’ed. They would often play racketball with Randal and Christy (Molly’s best friend who married Rick’s brother). They also continued the Beaver Lake tradition with Rick’s family.
Before long, Rick and Molly welcomed children into their home: Erin, Derek, and Megan. Rick was a loving father and taught his children many important things, such as how to properly dribble a basketball, what it means to have good taste in music, and how to smoke a brisket, even if all you have is a small water smoker wrapped in a large barrel trash can. He instilled strong family values in his children and taught them a sense of duty and responsibility. As his children grew, Rick welcomed additional children into his family: Megan’s husband, Richard, and Derek’s wife, Ashley. He also welcomed grandchildren: Liz, Lindsay Mae, Colton, Austin, and Summer. It was Rick’s great joy to be a grandpa. The things in life which he was most proud of were the love of his life, Molly, their loving children, and their sweet grandchildren.
Some other activities Rick enjoyed include betting on horses at the racetrack with his friends, serving with the Knights of Columbus at parish fish fries, sampling every BBQ joint in town, competing in BBQ competitions with his children and nephew, and collecting great movies and music, especially music by Aerosmith, Elvis, and the Beatles. Rick spent most of his career at Sprint and Embarq as a Telecom Manager.
Rick was preceded in death by his mother, Darlene. He is survived by his father, Charlie; his wife of 42 years, Molly; his children, Erin, Derek (Ashley), and Megan (Richard); his grandchildren, Liz, Lindsay Mae, Colton, Austin, and Summer; his brothers, Randal (Christy), Gerald, Kendal (Trish), Lee (Dana), Bert (Emily), and his many nieces and nephews and their children.
A visitation will be held at 9:00 a.m., Rosary will be said at 9:40 a.m., and the Funeral Mass will follow at 10 a.m., on Tuesday, December 23, at Church of the Ascension Catholic Church, 9510 W. 127th St. Overland Park, KS. Burial will follow at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, Lenexa, KS.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial contributions to PreBorn! Donate Here or to Catholic Charities of NE Kansas. Donate Here
The Funeral Mass will be livestreamed and can be viewed at this link.
https://www.youtube.com/live/RJkAQZsh43E?si=h9bFMqCckNmD1uWP