1930
Cordelia
2017
Cordelia Dick
March 17, 1930 — November 12, 2017
Cordelia Mae Dick, 87, of Leawood, Kansas, died peacefully at her residence on November 12, 2017. Cordelia, known to her friends and family as “Corky” (and to many of her nieces and nephews as “Aunt Pat”), was born March 17, 1930, in Kansas City, Missouri, to John and Terressa Fox.
Corky attended Central High School before attending the University of Central Missouri (then Central Missouri State College), where she was a member of Delta Zeta sorority and earned her degree in psychology. Following graduation, she went to work for TWA and traveled internationally as an airline hostess for a decade. Despite the “no marriage” rules that applied to flight attendants at the time, she met and married the love of her life, John (“Jack”) Dick, with whom she spent her last 65 years. Rumor has it that she was so good at her job, TWA was willing to ignore this small detail.
Corky was a consummate mother and homemaker and was filled with compassion and a genuine interest in others. She made friends easily and maintained contact with many. She loved to cook and entertain and was known for the frequent bridge gatherings and weekly pool and tennis parties at her house. She also invented the concept of “putting the towel up”. If a beach towel was hanging on the lamppost, often at her children’s prodding, that meant the back yard was open to all for a neighborhood swim or tennis match.
While raising her children, she was an active volunteer at the Village Presbyterian Church, in the PTA (where she was honored with lifetime membership), and as a Blue Bird and Camp Fire Girl leader. As her children grew up, she began working outside the home again, first as a receptionist at a local hair salon, then at the Village Presbyterian Church where she managed the dining room for several years. After retirement, Corky continued her volunteer work at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection where she is memorialized with a panel in the stained-glass wall in the new sanctuary.
For many years, Corky and Jack escaped the Midwest cold at their winter home in Scottsdale, Arizona, and spent 30+ years traveling the world together, including 23 cruises and visits to almost every free country on the planet. At the same time, she always stayed connected with her children and grandchildren and, of course, her beloved Chiefs, following many years as a season ticket holder. She was an astute political observer and enjoyed a robust debate about current events, and she never met a crossword puzzle she couldn’t beat. She was one of God’s better creations, and her compassion, kindness, intellect and humor will be dearly missed by all whose lives she touched.
Corky is survived by her husband Jack and their two daughters Melissa (Dave) Bennett, DeSoto, KS, and Melanie McMullen, Shawnee, KS, five grandsons, a granddaughter-in-law, and a great-grandson, as well as numerous other loving relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her sister Gloria Sante and brother William Fox.
Family and friends will celebrate Corky’s long and happy life at a memorial service on Thursday December 7th at 1:00pm in the Wesley Chapel at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, 13720 Roe Avenue, Leawood Kansas. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 3846 W. 75th Street, Prairie Village, Kansas 66208
Corky attended Central High School before attending the University of Central Missouri (then Central Missouri State College), where she was a member of Delta Zeta sorority and earned her degree in psychology. Following graduation, she went to work for TWA and traveled internationally as an airline hostess for a decade. Despite the “no marriage” rules that applied to flight attendants at the time, she met and married the love of her life, John (“Jack”) Dick, with whom she spent her last 65 years. Rumor has it that she was so good at her job, TWA was willing to ignore this small detail.
Corky was a consummate mother and homemaker and was filled with compassion and a genuine interest in others. She made friends easily and maintained contact with many. She loved to cook and entertain and was known for the frequent bridge gatherings and weekly pool and tennis parties at her house. She also invented the concept of “putting the towel up”. If a beach towel was hanging on the lamppost, often at her children’s prodding, that meant the back yard was open to all for a neighborhood swim or tennis match.
While raising her children, she was an active volunteer at the Village Presbyterian Church, in the PTA (where she was honored with lifetime membership), and as a Blue Bird and Camp Fire Girl leader. As her children grew up, she began working outside the home again, first as a receptionist at a local hair salon, then at the Village Presbyterian Church where she managed the dining room for several years. After retirement, Corky continued her volunteer work at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection where she is memorialized with a panel in the stained-glass wall in the new sanctuary.
For many years, Corky and Jack escaped the Midwest cold at their winter home in Scottsdale, Arizona, and spent 30+ years traveling the world together, including 23 cruises and visits to almost every free country on the planet. At the same time, she always stayed connected with her children and grandchildren and, of course, her beloved Chiefs, following many years as a season ticket holder. She was an astute political observer and enjoyed a robust debate about current events, and she never met a crossword puzzle she couldn’t beat. She was one of God’s better creations, and her compassion, kindness, intellect and humor will be dearly missed by all whose lives she touched.
Corky is survived by her husband Jack and their two daughters Melissa (Dave) Bennett, DeSoto, KS, and Melanie McMullen, Shawnee, KS, five grandsons, a granddaughter-in-law, and a great-grandson, as well as numerous other loving relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her sister Gloria Sante and brother William Fox.
Family and friends will celebrate Corky’s long and happy life at a memorial service on Thursday December 7th at 1:00pm in the Wesley Chapel at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, 13720 Roe Avenue, Leawood Kansas. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 3846 W. 75th Street, Prairie Village, Kansas 66208
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Cordelia Dick, please visit our flower store.