Richard James Feitz, Sr. was born April 14, 1941 in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Louis and Dorothy Fueston Feitz.
Dick lived much of his childhood in the Northeast KCMO area. After high school he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He spent four years as a jet mechanic at Laredo Air Force Base in Laredo, Texas. During his time of service he experienced several world impacting events, such as the Civil Rights Movement and the I Have a Dream speech, the Cold War space race, the Cuban Bay of Pigs crisis, and the assassination of President John F Kennedy. He also formed a bond of brotherhood with other service members with whom he kept in contact for many years. He loved all types of aircraft and many other types of big machinery.
Dick was a man of many talents. After his service he began a career in industrial maintenance transitioning into sales, selling life insurance and welding equipment. In later years he served as a Garden City, Mo. Police Deputy, a Cass County Sherriff's Deputy, and a Cass County Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and drove a school bus route for the Harrisonville School District.
Dick was a person who loved people but even more so, he loved the Lord. In 1972 he and his family were saved and baptized in a small Church of God in Sugar Creek, Mo. They soon began attending Sheffield Assembly of God Church in Kansas City, Mo. After receiving a call on his life to preach the Gospel, he and Sandy began attending classes at the Central Bible College Extension at Sheffield. After receiving his license to preach he served as an Associate Pastor at Sheffield, leading Junior Church, the bus ministry, and Community Outreach. He also served as a pastor at a small church in Minneville, Mo. and was later elected pastor of Bethel Assembly of God in Garden City, Mo where he served two different terms. He also served as interim pastor of a small church in Ozark, Mo. and as pastor of Maranatha Fellowship in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.
He was preceded in death by his father, Louis H Feitz Jr., his mother, Dorothy Feitz, his brother Charles Feitz, and his sister, Sylvia Mencke and daughter-in-law Loretta Feitz.
Survivors include his wife of sixty-six years, Sandy Feitz, son Richard J. Feitz Jr, daughter Laura (Craig) Mueller, son James (Anisa) Feitz, and son Joseph Feitz. ten grandchildren, and twenty-two great grandchildren, stepsister Judy Adler and God daughter Danielle Peterson.
Dick will forever be remembered as a family man, a handyman, a great friend, a proud patriot, a talker (loving to share his stories with everyone) and a strong Christian.
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