Gregory Ambrose

GREGORY NORMAN AMBROSE

Greg was born to Norman & Eleanor Ambrose in Wichita, KS on August 13, 1956. He bowed before his Savior on August 11, 2016-just two days shy of his 60th birthday.

Greg had a thirst for living and making every moment count, always up before dawn & ready to begin a new day. His generosity and compassion for others was evident to all who knew him. Greg was a loving son, husband, father, grandfather, and friend who will be greatly missed by many loved ones.

Greg attended Santa Fe Trail Junior High School in Olathe, KS and later moved to Louisburg, KS where he graduated from Louisburg High School in 1974. Growing up, Greg played baseball and basketball both in school and through community sponsored games. During this time, he also sang and played guitar in a Christian band through a Baptist church spreading the Gospel. He then went on to study finance at Pittsburg State University.

Greg started his selling career at an early age. When he was about 8 years of age the neighbor raised tomatoes. Greg put them in a little red wagon and set off through the neighborhood to sell to anybody he saw. He always came home with an empty wagon.

He also worked at a chicken farm packing eggs to pay off his first loan on a black Pontiac convertible. He later ordered shoes out of a catalogue and sold them door to door. In 1977, Greg was hired by Borg Warner in the farm financing department as a district sales rep. He began in Kansas City and went on to move to Wichita, KS and Indianapolis, IN.

In 1980 Greg moved back to Olathe, KS to work with his father in the steel and aluminum business. Greg always wanted to move further in the business and so he started a plumbing supply business. This resulted in him having three growing and thriving businesses. In the early years of the business & in his far-sightedness, he bought a used high tech computer that would eliminate the need to spend late nights with administrative tasks. Then in 1998, Greg was instrumental in buying a sign company in Oklahoma and moving it to Kansas. Greg had a swelling of business associates and developed many friends throughout the community. As a member of the Olathe Chamber of Commerce, he rarely met a stranger.

On April 24, 1982 Greg and Debbie Ann Shelton were married. They were together for nearly 35 years. In the early years, they did a lot of traveling with Debbie's parents, Doug and Ann. Greg and his father-in-law became fast friends and would remain so for the rest of their lives. Coincidentally, Greg passed away on Doug's birthday.
Together, Greg and Debbie raised their two sons, Matthew Gregory and Michael Douglas. Family was their love and joy. Wonderful times were spent with a family of friends on West 113th Terrace in Lenexa. Greg grilled for fun fairs year after year along with his buddy Gene. Family vacations and spring breaks to Colorado, Florida and the lake were cherished. Pride and love for Debbie and his boys were evident in all he did. Greg's family and heart grew even more when he found out that he would become a grandfather in January, 2015. Lindsay Ann Ambrose was the light of his world. Greg's infectious laughter and silliness always had her smiling and giggling.

Both of Greg's sons went to work for their dad by starting out in the warehouse. As the boys grew into adults, they became more involved with the company. In the later years when Greg began to take more time off to play his beloved game of golf and as his illness grew more cumbersome, he began teaching them the art of running a business.

Greg placed a great emphasis on family, and handled the business in the same manner. He strove to make every employee feel like family. He worked hard on strategies to improve the lives of all employees, often times choosing employees over profit. Greg was the person you could count on, whether is was operating a fork truck, processing orders, or negotiating a contract. He was able to guide and teach in a manner that made you feel like you were helping him.

For many years, Greg enjoyed entertaining others through tailgating at both Chiefs and KU football games. Through the late nights and early mornings, Greg, Debbie, Alan, and Leslie would prepare a feast for everyone to enjoy. Greg loved to provide for others, whether it was a warm meal or a cold beer. This tradition of the tailgating ambulance continues with his sons and friends.
Greg found another one of his passions in life when he joined Wolf Creek Golf Links in 2008. It was there that he met some of the greatest guys with whom he loved to be with to play golf or sit around and play gin: Jack, Jay, Chris, Bruce, Rory, John, Steve, Mike G. and many others. In addition to Wolf Creek, Greg enjoyed winter golf trips to Palm Desert, CA with Ron, Al, Tom, & others.

In the early 1980's, Greg became a mason in Peace Lodge #243. It wasn't long before he became Worshipful Master. At that time, he was the youngest to reach that position in the state of Kansas. This was followed by joining the Shriners and becoming a part of the Clown Unit where he was known as Greg-O the Clown. He was asked to participate in parades, birthday parties, etc. However, his true passion was visiting the sick children in the hospitals. He did magic tricks, told funny stories and made animals out of balloons. He practiced those tricks and balloon making night after night until he could do them first time every time. This was also a time when he saw the pain and grief on the faces of these children's parents.

As God had planned, a decade and a half later, Greg was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was a huge blow, but he fought like God's warrior fighting Satan himself. Through the many years of debilitating procedures, surgeries and treatments, Greg remained positive, strove to stay strong and retained his sense of humor. He was "Iron Man" to many.

Greg always considered himself lucky as the poor children that were inflicted with disease broke his heart. No matter where he was in Kansas or at MDAnderson in Texas, when he saw sick children and exhausted parents, he would pull out his wallet and place money in the hands of many. It didn't matter if he was on a shuttle, in an airport or walking down the street-his heart and his wallet would always open up for others.

Greg is preceded in his death by his brother, Jeffrey Ambrose. He is survived by his parents, Norman and Eleanor Ambrose; his beloved wife Deborah Ambrose; his two sons: Matthew Ambrose (Melanie) and Michael Ambrose (Marissa); and granddaughter Lindsay Ambrose. Greg also leaves behind many family, friends, and business associates whom he cared for dearly.
The family would like to thank Dr. Gerald Williams for his incredible friendship and dedication to Greg and the family throughout this journey.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00am Saturday, August 20th at Olathe Bible Church 13700 W. 151 St. Olathe, KS. The Masonic Rites and burial will follow at Louisburg Cemetery 12:00pm in Louisburg, KS. Donations in Greg's memory can be made to the MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital, PO Box 4470, Houston TX 77210-4470.