William Miles "Bill" Chick, 95, of Lenexa, Kansas, passed away on Monday, May 17, 2021.
Bill was born August 15, 1925 in Kansas City, Missouri to Henry and Willie Belle (Shaw) Chick. He graduated from Central High School in 1942. Bill joined the military enlisting in the army 10/25/1943 during WW II. He honorably served in the Army as a Radar Crewman, Rate Tec-5, with the 58th Coast Artillery, Surface Warning Battery in New Guinea and Lingoyen Gulf, receiving the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon with Bronze Star, Good Conduct Medal, and WWII Victory Medal. Bill was honorably discharged from military service 2/7/1946. He was last honored by the Heartland Honor Flight Network in July of 2012 flying to Washington DC to visit the World War II Memorial.
Bill attended the University of Miami in Florida, where he graduated in 1949 with a BBA. While living in Florida, he experienced several hurricanes, including one where the 'eye' passed directly over his housing area. He had an outboard Marine speed boat with a 10 horsepower Mercury outboard motor so he could fish in the Keys on weekends, mostly from a marina on Islamorada Key. After graduation he worked in inventory control at the Lee Tidewater Cypress company in Perry, Florida where he met his soon to be wife, Mazel Vicky Hughes Lynch where she also worked assembling cypress soft drink cases. They married and moved to Jacksonville, FL in March 1953. There they both worked at a Morrison's cafeteria and after a few months, moved to Bill's hometown of Kansas City where they lived for the next 47 years until Vicky passed in March 2000.
Bill loved traveling, visiting most of the U.S. He and Vicky along with their kids Kenneth and Dixie logged many miles traveling to and from Florida, pulling their pop-up tent camper, affectionally know as Camp Ugly. Thanks to a late-night change of travel plans, instigated by Ken and agreed upon by Vicky and Dixie, the family opted not to travel once again to Florida, but to instead travel west discovering the beauty of Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Bill happily obliged this change of plans with many future trips west to Colorado in the years that followed. After retirement, Bill and Vicky continued their travels by visiting Europe. He devoted the last several years of their marriage caring for Vicky as her Alzheimer's developed.
Bill worked in the insurance industry for more than 35 years as an insurance underwriter for commercial and marine property and was employed by Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company, Thomas McGee Insurance, and Med James Insurance. Bill retired in 1989. He furthered his professional career, earning the CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter) designation at University of Missouri, Kansas City in 1960 and taught CPCU courses for 4 years from 1960-1964. He served as the president of the KC Chapter of CPCU in 1974-75. Bill was a Deacon at Nall Avenue Baptist Church and Adult Sunday School Director, President of Young Men's Club, North Kansas City YMCA, President KC Chapter of CPCU, and the Director and Secretary of Union Cemetery Historical Society.
He is survived by his children, daughter Dixie L Wedding nee Chick, son-in-law Patrick of Punta Gorda, FL; his son Kenneth A Chick, daughter-in-law Ekaterina of San Antonio, TX; and his grandchildren Rachel Prieto nee Chick, grandson-in-law Andrew and great-grandson Hugh of Whispering Pines, NC; Alister Chick of Shallotte, NC, granddaughter-in-law Candice Chick; Natasha Chick 1LT, USA, Oahu, HI, Nichole Chick 2LT, USA, West Point, NY.; grandsons Michael Lynch of Kansas City and Patrick Lynch of Austin, TX; and nephews Russell, William and James Chick. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Willie Belle; his brother Henry Chick; his wife, Vicky Chick, his son Don Lynch, and significant other Judy Hill.
Funeral services are planned for a graveside service to be held mid-June at Mt. Washington Cemetery in Independence MO. Bill will be interred next to Vicky Chick. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in Bill's memory to Kansas City Hospice, Alzheimer's Association, and Kansas City Union Mission.
To leave a message of condolence for Bill's family or to share a special memory of Bill, please visit the guestbook below.