Truly, I don't quite know what to write here, but feel I should say something. As we move away from places in our lives, there are people whom we have known that stay with us even as we live and change. Such is the case with Dick Mitby, a former supervisor, and then fellow Airspace & Procedures specialist with me during my time at Kansas City ARTCC. There are too many great memories and lessons learned to address in detail here, but suffice it to to say I admired, respected, and learned from Dick in the time I was able to know him. He had been suffering in the last year from an ever-increasing set of maladies, and thanks to his loving wife, Paula, for including me on those email updates regarding his condition. One of the last ones I received from her sounded hopeful, yet the tone regarding his condition hit me with it's impending finality. As I was back in KC for a wedding over Father's Day weekend, I made it a point to make a trip to his home in Olathe before heading back to Phoenix. Though Dick was immobile due to a stroke and his body giving out, the smile that I remember on a daily basis was ever-present during my visit. I received an email from his wife that he passed away at 4 am today, and while I and many others whose lives he touched are saddened to lose him, I am proud to have known him and thankful that I was able to spend even a little time at his side before he went peacefully into Heaven.
God Bless you, Dick, and rest in the peace that the last year has not given you.
Remember there are no bogies in heaven, just a multitude of mulligans!
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