Richard Bennett Rinehart

Richard ("Dick") Rinehart, 76, passed away on April 16, 2015 surrounded by his wife Marcia and their three children Sheridan, Kyle, and Matthew. Dick is preceded in death by his parents, Bennett Edward Rinehart and Violet Esther Schwindt and father-in-law, Byron Winfred Kyle.

Dick was born in Arkansas City, Kansas on October 5, 1938. His parents instilled in him a lifelong curiosity about the world, an enthusiasm for hard work, and a compulsion to solve problems of all kinds. Between morning and afternoon chores on the family farm, through sixth grade Dick attended the nearby Chilocco Indian School, where he gained the outsider's perspective that he retained for much of his life. Dick coasted through high school in Arkansas City, enjoying drama club and shop class. After surprising both teachers and his parents on proficiency tests during senior year, Dick attended Cowley County Community College and later made the difficult decision to attend college rather than stay on the family farm.

Dick graduated from Kansas State University in 1961 with a B.S. degree in engineering. He began working at the engineering firm Black and Veatch that year, continuing full-time for B&V through 2002, then later as a consultant through 2013. Dick also earned a law degree in 1967 from UMKC after attending night classes. Dick worked on engineering projects throughout the United States and later internationally, with project focuses typically on railroad and power plant logistics. He was a member of the Missouri Bar Association and was a registered Professional Engineer in Missouri.

Dick met Marcia Kyle at All Souls Unitarian Church in 1965. They married in June of 1966 in Chanute, Kansas and have lived in the KC area since, including Leawood and most recently, Lenexa.

Dick was a proud father. He played an active role in raising his three children who fondly remember their dad reading stories, playing puzzles and games, and working on projects with them. Dick loved to watch his children in swimming competitions and he happily volunteered his time as a referee.
Dick was an avid traveler. In addition to visiting all fifty states, Dick traveled to many countries on five continents. Dick's family has many fond memories of Dick taking "shortcuts" while on vacation, many of which coincidentally passed along railroad crossings or yards. Dick loved learning, and the family remembers waiting while Dick absorbed every detail of every exhibit at whatever museum the family was visiting.

Dick was a voracious reader on many subjects including military and maritime history as well as architecture and biographies.

In later life, Dick was an active member of the Leawood Lions Club, including service as its president. Dick was also involved with his children in scouting and was very active in his church community.

During and after his diagnosis of throat cancer in 2007, Marcia was Dick's devoted and loving caregiver. Although Dick's final years were often difficult, he found comfort through time spent with family and dear friends as well as travel. Dick's family sincerely thanks the many doctors, nurses, and therapists who helped Dick.

Dick is survived by his wife Marcia, children Sheridan, Matthew, and Kyle, daughter-in-law Candice, and three grandsons Ian, Nicholas, and Jeffrey, sister Diane DeWeese (Carl), mother-in-law Anona Lindblad Kyle, brother-in-law Dana Kyle (Ada Sue) and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and additional relatives. Dick's family will miss him dearly.

Visitation and memorial service for family and friends will be held at the Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church, 9400 Pflumm Road, Lenexa, Kansas 66215. Visitation will be from 5pm to 7pm on Friday April 24, 2015. Memorial service will be held at 2pm on Saturday April 25, 2015 with private inurnment to follow at a later date in Cowley County, KS.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Dick's memory to SMUU Church Endowment Foundation or to Head and Neck Cancer Research at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. Gifts should be sent to KU Endowment c/o Krista Allen, (In memory of Richard Rinehart) 3901 Rainbow Blvd., MS 3012, Kansas City, KS 66160. All checks should be made out to KU Endowment with "In Memory of Richard Rinehart" in the memo line.