Richard "Dick" McCall
Obituary
Richard Ray (Dick) McCall 87, of Newton, died Wednesday (May
29, 2019).
He was born on July 12, 1931, in El Dorado to S. E. and Ruth
McCall. He married Barbara Findley on May 8, 1954, in Lawrence, and for 65
wonderful years they shared a beautiful life together. He was father to Marc
McCall (Lori) of Elizabeth, Colorado, and Becky Galloway (Gary Janzen) of
Wichita; grandfather to Scott McCall (Natalie) of Nashville, Tennessee, Connor
Galloway (Madison) of Kansas City, Missouri, Leah McCall of Los Angeles and
Cameron Galloway of Bentonville, Arkansas. He is also survived by his brother,
Victor McCall of Fort Worth, Texas; and sister, Carolyn Hargis of Shawnee
Mission; as well as many nieces and nephews.
Dick graduated from Newton High School in 1949. As class
president, he worked to maintain class connections throughout his life. He then
went to the University of Kansas, where he was an active member of Delta
Upsilon and met his wife, Barbara. After college, he joined the U.S. Air Force
during the Korean War.
Following his service, he and Barbara returned to Newton to
begin work in the family shoe business. McCall's Shoes grew from Newton to also
include Wichita, Emporia, Manhattan, Pittsburg and Lawrence. He also developed
a mail order shoe business that sold ladies' shoes across the world. While
running the shoe stores, he earned a pilot's license to carry stock between
stores. After retiring from the shoe business, he and Barbara traveled to over
five continents and 30 countries, especially enjoying China, Italy and
Switzerland.
Dick was an award-winning photographer who was featured in
several exhibitions and publications, an avid golfer, a Kansas Jayhawks sports
fan and was also consistently involved in every aspect of the community. He was
a member of the Newton Lions club for more than 50 years, served as president
and fund drive chairman for the first Newton tornado sirens, delivered Meals on
Wheels for 30 years and was a charter member of the Trinity Heights United
Methodist Church. Dick chaired the building committee for the original church
building and served on the church board for many years. He was the president of
Prairie View Mental Health Center, Central Kansas Community Foundation and the
Newton Medical Center Foundation. He organized the Railer 100th Celebration and
raised national awareness for Newton through a featured article in the U.S.
News and World Report magazine. He was actively involved in campaigns that
culminated in the construction of Newton High School, Newton Medical Center and
the new sanctuary at Trinity Heights. He was an active member of the board of
directors for all of these groups for many years.
He was recognized as an outstanding citizen by the community
through these awards: Newton Jaycees - Distinguished Service Award, Kiwanis -
Citizen of Year Award, Chamber Citizen of the Year -1994, Lions Club
International - Melvin Jones Fellow, Harvey County Economic Development Council
- Certificate of Appreciation, Newton Fine Arts Association - Certificate of
Appreciation, Kansas NEA - Honor Award, Newton Chamber of Commerce -
Outstanding Service as Chairman of the Board, Delta Upsilon - Meritorious Service
Award, Board of Education - Distinguished Service Award, Prairie View -
Distinguished Service Award.
The citation from his induction into the Newton High School
Hall of Fame in 2011 included the following:
"Dick McCall's legacy of leadership and community
service are unsurpassed and continue up to the present. His generosity and
influence have hugely impacted the community and helped shape it into the
caring, progressive high-quality hometown that it is today."
A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday (June 2,
2019) at Trinity Heights United Methodist Church, 1200 Boyd Ave., Newton.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to either
Trinity Heights United Methodist Church or the South Central Community
Foundation and may be sent in care of Petersen Funeral Home.
www.petersenfamilyfuneralhome.com.
