William Mitchell Putsch III, 68, died July 15, 2019 in Austin, TX after a long illness. Born in Charleston, SC on August 19, 1950, Will was raised in Kansas City, Missouri by Justus (Jud) and Virginia Putsch. He spent a lot of time in the restaurants owned and operated by his parents, most notably Putsch's 210 and Putsch's Cafeteria. It was here where his love of food service took hold. Will attended Westminster College before joining the Navy, serving as an electronics technician at Treasure Island before being discharged. Upon his return, he worked for his father, eventually becoming general manager of Putsch's Cafeteria in Blue Ridge Mall. His career found him working in a corporate kitchen for the Kauffmans, living briefly in Whittier, CA, and returning to Kansas City where he owned a Little King Deli franchise, and eventually his own barbeque restaurant, Putsch's Q10, in Raytown. Will is survived by his wife, CJ (Carolyn) Rathbun, two daughters, Kathryn Putsch and Rebekah Putsch, nephew Marcus Ring (Courtney), niece Mali Hawthorne (Jordan), and twin sister Virginia Putsch. He is also survived by his former wife and mother of his daughters, Virginia Bird (Ken). Private service has been scheduled for a future date.

Published in Kansas City Star on Aug. 4, 2019