Richard Lynn Waldron, 69, of Lee’s Summit, MO, passed away on February 1, 2021.

He is preceded in death by his parents, William and Marjorie Waldron, and his first wife Anita Waldron, the mother of his three daughters.

Rick was born on August 23, 1951, in Waukon, Iowa. He spent his entire childhood in Waukon, attending St. Patrick’s Catholic School K-12, before heading off to college, where he would ultimately graduate from Mankato State University with a degree in business. While young Rick’s shy and quiet demeanor was a stark contrast to the outgoing man we all knew him to be, his entrepreneurial spirit was on display early. He ran his own business in college and then moved directly into managing and ultimately owning restaurants upon graduation, taking him from Minnesota to the Kansas City area. 

Shortly after moving to Kansas City, Rick was very lucky to meet the (first) love of his life, Anita. They quickly fell in love, got married (November 10, 1979), and started a family. They settled down in Blue Springs, where they made 35 years of wonderful memories. Also, over that span, Rick made his mark on two very different career paths - first as a restauranteur and then in wealth management - serving as a great example of the value of hard work and perseverance. Finally, several years after losing Anita to cancer, Rick was again fortunate to meet the second love of his life, Jan. Rick and Jan were married on December 22, 2018 and have spent the last couple years enjoying retired life, traveling, and absolutely loving being constantly surrounded by family… especially the grandkids!

Rick is survived by his loving wife, Jan; his three daughters, Courtney (husband Bas Rol, son Kees), Amy (husband John Benne, daughters Madilynn and Leighton), Kate (husband Chris Teuber, daughter Penny, son Valentine); his siblings, Jan, Denny, Greg, Kathy, Susie, Wendy, Peggy, Gwen, Jane; his step-children Jennifer (deceased), Jason, Jordan (Sara) and step-grandchildren (Emma, Peighton, Henley, and Halston); and countless other family and friends who love, adore and will greatly miss him.

Rick’s wonderful traits and reasons to be loved are far too numerous to list here. However, the thing he will no doubt be best remembered for (and that he would be most proud of), is being a loving husband, father and grandfather. He will also be very fondly remembered as an incredibly gracious and generous host, and someone who always loved to crack a joke. He will be eternally missed, but he can leave knowing that he made an incredibly lasting impact on all those he cared for.

In lieu of flowers, we are asking for donations to be made in Rick Waldron’s honor to Jackson County CASA. There is a link to make a donation on the GatheringUS webpage.