Richard Anthony (Dick) Gruendel peacefully passed away Wednesday morning at Hospice House of Kansas City. Born and raised in KCK, Dick attended college and medical school at the University of Kansas, and married his college sweetheart and fellow medical student Virginia Turk in 1953. Completing his internship at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, he joined the Army, serving as a physician in Germany for 2 years. He and his family returned to Kansas City where he trained in Orthopaedic Surgery at St. Luke's and Kansas City General hospitals. Dick was an active member of the medical staffs at Providence, St. Margaret's and Bethany hospitals and the Wyandotte County Medical Society for 26 years and was instrumental in the development of certified medical emergency response services in KCK. His retirement from private practice in 1988 was promptly followed by a return to part-time practice at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Leavenworth, and later, as a consultant with Yellow Freight. He was active in the local Rotary Club, enjoyed many years of scuba diving, sailing and traveling the world with Virginia. They enjoyed raising cattle and gardening when they retired to their farm in Tonganoxie.
Dick and Virginia raised 3 children; Carol (Dan Gurba) of Leawood, Rick (Cathy Hewett) of Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Linda (Ron Kurtz) of Topeka, Kansas. They were blessed with 7 grandchildren: Katharine Gurba (Brad Bakker), Christopher Gurba (Rima Poddar), Tijiana Gurba (Lewis Paul Aines), Emily Gruendel (Caleb White) Grace Gruendel (Jake Prestia), Madelynn Kurtz, Morgan Kurtz and one Great-granddaughter Marion Prestia.
The visitation will be from 9-10:30 a.m. with the Funeral Service at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 11, at the Porter Funeral Home, 8535 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery, Kansas City, KS. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Congregational Church of Tonganoxie or the Rotary Club of Shawnee Mission.