Dick Renzi

In the early morning of July 14, 2022, Richard “Dick” Renzi, loving husband and father of three boys and grandfather of three granddaughters, passed away at the age of 75.

Dick was born on April 13, 1947 in Chicago, IL to Angelo and Lorraine (Frys) Renzi. He met his wife Judith in grade school, and they became a couple in their teenage years. Dick graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1969. He was also married and drafted into the Army that same year.  From 1969 -1971, Sergeant Renzi served his country, earning an infantry combat badge during his time in Vietnam. He then arrived home to his wife and infant son Joseph, and their life took off from there. In 1974, their second son Daniel was born followed by his youngest son, John, born in 1981.  Dick had an incredibly successful sales career, which took him and the young family to Lake Geneva, WI; Edmond, OK; Denver, CO, and finally to Overland Park, KS where they have been since 1986.

Dick was an accomplished carpenter and had a knack for fixing things around the house.  In his early years, he spent most weekends in the garage building things to be used around the house.  He never met a home-improvement project that he didn’t think he could tackle. He always had the right tool for the job and was quick to offer his services to family and friends.

Later in life, with an insatiable appetite to learn new things, he invested time and money into making knives, took wood carving classes, was a volunteer math tutor and looked forward to his weekly HAM radio club discussions. After he retired, he reconnected with his brethren from the Vietnam War and began spending time with other former veterans.

Dick had a passion for three professional sports teams: the Bears, the Cubs, and the Chiefs. He disliked any team from the East Coast. He raised a baseball family, but there were few things Dick enjoyed more than watching football on Sundays. Sundays were also the day the family got together for dinners. That was Dick’s opportunity to shoot everyone straight on valuable life lessons and enjoy time with his three granddaughters, whom he adored more than anything. Dick also had a knack for falling in love with animals he didn't want in the first place. His dog Buddy and his cat Gurdy were always somewhere close.

Dick was preceded in death by his father, mother, and brother Joseph. He is survived by his wife Judith, his three sons Joe (wife Michelle), Dan, and John, his three granddaughters Peyton, Reese, and Taylor, and his sister Diane (husband Ray).

Memorial contributions in memory of Dick are suggested to:  Randy Barnett,  C/O VVA Chapter 317, 3027 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64108 .      Family and friends are invited to the open house between 5-8pm Wednesday July 20th,  to some or all of the events listed below.