Max Dametz

Max L. DaMetz, P.E., P.L.S., Olathe, Kansas, died peacefully on Friday, March 22, 2013 from complications due to ALS. Max was born on February 6, 1949, in El Dorado, Kansas. He spent his childhood in Towanda and Udall, Kansas; his junior high school years in Brewer and Bangor, Maine; and his high school years in Stanley, Kansas. He graduated from Stanley Rural High School in 1967. He attended the University of Kansas as a member of Battenfeld Scholarship Hall, graduating in 1971 with a BS in English Education.

It was at the University of Kansas that Max met the love of his life, Linda Jennings. They were married in Little River, Kansas, on June 4, 1972. Last year they celebrated 40 wonderful years of marriage with a party hosted by their children.

In 1971 he accepted a position with Kinsley High School as English and speech teacher and head basketball and track coach. In 1973 Max moved to Dodge City High School as college-bound English teacher, assistant basketball and baseball coach, and head cross-country coach.

During his KU summers and Dodge City summers, Max worked as a surveyor's assistant for local Engineering firms. In 1975 he decided to return to school for an Engineering degree. Linda and he moved to Centralia, Kansas, where Linda taught at St. Benedict, Kansas, junior high school and Max commuted to Kansas State University. He graduated cum laude in 1977 with a BS in Civil Engineering.

Upon graduation, the family moved back to Dodge City where Max was an intern Engineer and Surveyor with his mentor, Grant Brezina, at Brezina Engineering. In 1979 the family moved to Olathe, Kansas, for Max to work with his first mentor and future partner, Ed Young, at Payne & Brockway. Max became a Licensed Professional Engineer in 1981 and a registered Professional Land Surveyor in 1987. He retired as President of Payne & Brockway in 2002. In 2004 Max became a founding principal of Level-4 Engineering with offices in Lenexa, Leavenworth, and Topeka. Level-4 merged with Renaissance Infrastructure Consulting in 2011. He retired from that firm early last year.

Max was a member of Kansas Society of Professional Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, Kansas Society of Land Surveyors, American Society of Civil Engineers, and Kansas Consulting Engineers. He was also a member of Clockwinders Optimist Club (Past President and distinguished district Lt. Governor) and Olathe Rotary Club (4 time Paul Harris fellow and 2009 Rotarian of the Year). Max was a member of the Rotary work teams to Belize, to St. Croix, and at Kansas School for the Deaf. Max also headed the Rotary effort to erect the sculpture "Trails West" in Lone Elm Park to commemorate the 100th year of Rotary International. He served in many capacities at Grace United Methodist Church and was on the Charitable Foundation Board for Olathe Medical Center. Max was a long-time coach for Olathe Babe Ruth Baseball.
Max's favorite pastime was attending his children's and grandchildren's activities, along with KU basketball and football games and KC Royals games.

During his Engineering and Surveying career, Max provided services to both public municipalities and private developers. He designed several miles of thoroughfare streets and many miles of interceptor sewer mains. He also worked on many residential, commercial, and industrial developments involving hundreds of plats, thousands of building lots, and thousands of miles of streets, sewer lines, water lines, and storm sewer systems.

But he was most proud of the development he and Linda created in Shawnee known as "Crestview Heights," for the house they built there, and for being involved with the building of Grace United Methodist Church. Max was always grateful for the wonderful people he met and worked with during his career: fellow teachers and coaches, city council members, planners, City engineers, architects, inspectors, developers, contractors, county clerks and registers of deeds, builders, title companies, attorneys, and fellow consulting Engineers and Surveyors.

Max is survived by his loving wife, Linda, who he always said made him better than he ever could have been; his talented and remarkable children (who were his source of daily pride): daughter and son-in-law Erin & Tim Deneke; son and daughter-in-law Ryan & Kristen DaMetz; and his precious grandchildren Grace, Samuel, and Emily Deneke, and Bennett DaMetz.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Grace United Methodist Church Building Fund, 11485 S. Ridgeview Road, Olathe, KS, 66062 or to The ALS Association, Attn: Keith Worthington Chapter, 6950 Squibb Road, Suite 210, Mission, KS, 66202.