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IN MEMORY

Phil Greathouse

Phil Greathouse

PHIL"RUSTY"GREATHOUSEPhil"Rusty"Greathouse, 67, Prairie Village, passed away while watching the KC Chiefs lose their game Sunday, September 18, 2016. It was a hard day for all of us. Sharon, his wife of 38 years, was by his side. Rusty was a gentle lion. He liked to say one of his greatest achievements was "not getting caught," and many of his oldest pals remember him as a fierce friend and loyal defender, even as early as third grade. He reached his tall height way before the other kids started to grow and became a bad boy with a big heart, a heart so big it couldn't help but win out in the long run. He became the kind of husband who happily renewed his wedding vows in an Elvis chapel in Vegas, even though he didn't like Elvis but Sharon really, really does. He made sure the family came together for birthdays and holidays throughout the year, every year. He loved to have the grandkids and great-grandkids over for slumber parties and entertain them with glow-in-the-dark yo-yo shows after lights out. As a friend remarked, Rusty was the kind of man who "sat back and watched everyone else, but got a kick out of watching!" We will miss his quiet, but giant, presence in our lives. Rusty's dry and off-the-wall humor is famous with his family, friends and colleagues. He graduated from Southwest High and Penn Valley College. After attending Northwest Missouri State, he worked for Russ Berrie & Co., selling plush toys on the road in his unforgettable orange Cadillac. Later, he decided it was time to stop traveling and learn a new trade. That's when he accomplished two achievements that meant a lot to him -- he earned national certifications with the American Board of Opticianry and with the National Contact Lens Examiners. He worked at several optical shops before signing on with Costco to establish and manage the optical department. He always felt fortunate to work for Costco because the company's personal and business ethics matched his own. He was a well-liked boss and colleague who came up with nicknames for other employees. He also had a special talent for fine-tuning lenses for customers with the same care and pickiness he gave to his own. In recent years, his favorite hobbies were gardening and Sharon. Rusty was born Aug. 7, 1949, in Kansas City, Mo., the son of Roland A. and Phyllis (Russell)Greathouse. Rusty's father died while Rusty was still a boy. He often said it was his grandfather who taught him to be a man. Rusty married Sharon (Hiller)Greathousein 1978. In addition to Sharon, he is survived by their children, Maggie (Greathouse) Endsley, her husband Scott, and their children, Spencer and Lily, Lenexa; Deborah (Bloomer) Mance, her husband Gary, Prairie Village, and their children, Kathleen Mance and her partner David Ralabate, Prairie Village, and Stephen and Jessica Sharpe-Mance, Seattle, Wash.; Michael "Andy" Bloomer and his wife Mary Wharff, Lawrence; great-grandchildren, Bradley Mance and Coulomb Sharpe- Mance; six nieces and three nephews; his sisters, Susan (Greathouse) Wheatley, Draper, Utah, and StacyGreathouse, Prairie Village; sister-in-law, Elizabeth Quist, Front Royal, Va.; and many good friends. We will celebrate Rusty's life with a Final Kick-off from 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25. Please wear your favorite Chiefs gear and join us after the program for the game. We'll cheer on the team and share stories of Rusty at McGilley and Hoge Johnson County Memorial Chapel, 8024 Santa Fe Dr., Overland Park, KS. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Salvation Army. Condolences may be left online atwww.mcgilleyhoge.comArr.: McGilley & Hoge Chapel, 8024 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, KS 66204 (913) 642-3565.

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.jocolibrary.org/resources/doc/nb/obit/15F9ADA042EE7530-15F9ADA042EE7530?p=OBIT

 
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02/25/18 10:58 PM #1    

Charles Schliebs

I remember that before meeting Rusty I had heard that he was a real tough guy, even a hood of sorts, but that was simply what I had heard. We had only one class together.  Although the science course Human Sciences had a reputation for being the "easy" science course taken by people not really serious about it but needing a science credit, I decided to take it anyway as I thought it might help me decide whether I wanted to go down to the path to medical school. (I remember also being criticized by some classmates for taking it, along with typing, since you could not get extra grade points for an A.) Well, as adverstised, it was an incredibly easy course, and I cannot say that it was much help in my career deliberations, but I did take it and sat right behind Rusty.  The way things developed, when the teacher asked questions, I was literally the only person who had done the reading, and therefore the only person who knew the answers, which brought a lot of unwanted attention to me from all sorts of people I did not know at all and who thought I was a real jerk for knowing the answers. One or two decided that since this was before I had grown (I was the second shortest guy in the class as I recall until I grew in one year to 5'11"), I would be the perfect guy to which to give a really hard time. I was generous in my time helping Rusty in the class, and Rusty (who was huge compared to anyone else) made it crystal clear (without my asking) to the troublemakers to leave me the Hell alone. Saying it once, emphatically, was all it took.  We had a very good relationship through the remainder of high school, and remained friends on FB until he passed.   I should note that on Rusty's FB account he indicated that he was class of 1967, so perhaps he took a fifth year! I have no recollection of that one way or the other. To sum things up, Rusty was a good guy, and as far as I was concerned, a bit of a gentle giant. 


02/26/18 11:34 AM #2    

Bobby Nigro Jr.

Good guy - some wild fun Friday nights. Rest In Peace.


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