Richard (Dick) Pate, 85, of Lenexa, KS, was born on February 24th 1939, and left this earth peacefully surrounded by his family on Friday December 27th at Advent Medical, Shawnee Mission Hospital. Dick, the youngest son of Richard Aubra and Elma Florence Pate, was born and spent most of his childhood in Flint, Michigan. Throughout his childhood he developed a love for the outdoors and went hunting and fishing every chance he could.
At 9 years old, he had the experience of a lifetime living in Africa for 2 years which he later captured in a book he had published, Adventure in Liberia. He graduated from Mio High School and was later drafted into the United States Army in 1962 where he served for 6 years at Ft Leonard Wood in the transportation department. This is where he met the love of his life, Carolyn who worked on base as a transportation clerk and with whom he recently celebrated 61 years of marriage.
After the Army, Dick entered into the freight transportation industry which ultimately landed him at Yellow Freight Systems in Overland Park, KS where he was a Linehaul Supervisor in their Central Dispatch Office. Dick’s dedication and whatever it takes work ethic endured there for nearly 3 decades and at age 58 he was able to take an early retirement.
Along with a great love for his wife and family, Dick maintained a life of the highest integrity and countless selfless acts of doing unto others along the way. Just one example, was during a fishing trip by himself in the fast-moving power plant discharge waters at Lake LaCygne. A nearby boat had flipped over, swallowing the man and his son down into the fast-flowingundercurrent. Despite the risk of drowning, Dick dove out of his boat after them and saved the lives of that man and his son, while nearly losing his own life.
God was not done with him down here just yet, so to no one’s surprise, retirement was not going to slow Dick down. He continued his lifelong hobbies of golf, hunting, maintaining his avid fisherman status, and was actively involved with varying ministries at Queen of the Holy Rosary, where he was a long-time member. All the while he balanced a part-time job withCrowd Systems and Best Security who provide services formany events to include all the KU sports activities. You see,Dick was an avid fan of nearly any sport that involved a ball, or a puck and KU just so happened to be his favorite college team. He spent the last 15 years there working at what Carolyn referred to as his “dream job”, where he often found himselfcourtside at Allen Fieldhouse helping keep an eye on things. He continually referenced the awesome group of people he worked with and the lifelong friendships that had been formed.
Dick is survived by his wife Carolyn of 61 years. Four children: David (Debbie) Pate, Laura (Joe) Campbell, Jim Pate, Greg (Stacie) Pate; ten grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Ronald Pate.
He will be greatly missed by his friends and family. His abundant life and his impact on those around him could never be accurately captured in this small write-up. The family wishes to express their extreme gratitude for the fantastic support staff at Advent Health, Shawnee Mission, specifically the Emergency, Cardiac, and ICU teams, who offered the highest level of care during Dick’s final days here on earth.
A visitation will be held at Queen of the Holy Rosary in Overland Park, KS on Friday January 17th at 9:30am with a Funeral Mass to follow at 10:30am. After Mass there will be a luncheon provided in the church hall.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Queen of the Holy Rosary’s Fiat Center Fund, the American Heart Association, or the American Diabetes Foundation.