RUSSELL — Richard Henry Dumler, 88, found peace on Oct. 14, after a long battle with multiple illnesses. At the time of his death, he lived at Rose Estates assisted living in Overland Park. Born on April 19, 1926, in Russell, he was the son of Henry and Agnes Dumler. His mother later married Ted Gariepy. He attended high school in Russell, where he was a sports star. There he met cheerleader Betty Joanne Kilian. He entered the service in 1944, serving in the United States Army Air Force until 1945. He married Betty Jo on June 1, 1947.
He spent the majority of his life, from 1960 to 2014, in Great Bend. There he worked for several oil companies, was a member of the Elks and was on the board of the Lake Barton Golf Club. He was a member of St. Marks Lutheran church. He was an avid golfer and bowler, collecting many trophies over the years. His legendary temper led to many memorable stories from fellow team members. Yet his friends and family knew him for his gentle, loving nature. He loved his family and was a vocal Royals, Chiefs and Jayhawks fan. He collected more than 500 hats over the years, as well as many T-shirts and other memorabilia.
He is survived by his wife Betty of Rose Estates; two children, Sharon (Roger) Banbury of Overland Park, and Peggy (Paul) Brown of Victoria, Texas. His five grandchildren are Amy (Jeremey) Fritson and Dustin Banbury of Overland Park, Monica Stewart of Olathe, Nathan Brown of Austin, Texas and Jason Brown (Michelle) of Fort Worth, Texas. He also had six great-grandchildren. He is also survived by two brothers, Lloyd (Linda) Dumler of Russell, and Wayne (Carol) Dumler of Edmond, Okla.
A celebration of Richard’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary in Russell with Pastor Roger Dennis officiating.  Burial will follow at the St. John Lutheran Cemetery in Russell with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6240 Honor Guard conducting military rites. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday at the mortuary with family to greet guests from 6 to 7 p.m. on Friday. Memorials may be given to the Lake Barton Golf Club in Great Bend and sent in care of the mortuary.

Funeral arrangements provided by
Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary
610 N. Maple
Russell, KS.  67665
Great Bend (Kan) Tribune, Oct. 16, 2014