Gregory Owen Hastings

Greg Hastings passed away in Springfield, Mo., Saturday October 3rd, 2015, surrounded by close friends and family. Born September 23rd, 1957 to Dale Lavern Hastings and Bonnie Jean Hastings (Graham) in Kansas City, Missouri, Greg, known as Gomez or Gome to his many friends and their kids, grew up in south Kansas City, Mo. on the Santa Fe Trail where his childhood buddies have remained lifelong friends. During the summers from 1973-76, Greg found his greatest passion in life, outdoor recreation, working at Camp Shoshoni, Nederland, Colorado. Upon graduating from Grandview HS, class of ‘76, he attended UMKC for one year before transferring to the University of Missouri, Columbia, where he completed his forest management degree. While at Mizzou, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity.

Throughout the 80’s and early 90’s, Greg bartended or managed several popular bars and restaurants, including the Boone Tavern and Katy Station in Columbia as well as Flashback’s and Fedora on the Plaza in Kansas City. Greg’s love of the outdoors took him to Ponca, Arkansas in the early 90’s where he bought a small cabin along the Buffalo National River and built his life around canoeing, fishing, and camping. His greatest joys, besides his niece and nephews, were the various groups of people that would return each year to have Greg guide them to the best fishing holes. An avid reader, he especially enjoyed Henry David Thoreau, referring to his cabin and Ponca as his “Walden Pond”. Although he spent most of his time around Ponca and his beloved rivers, Gome would often just show up at family or friends’ homes in KC, St. Louis, or Colorado for a few hours or a few days and then just as he quietly arrived, he would quietly disappear back to the rivers around Ponca. He was a true outdoorsman living life on his own terms. Friends and family have lost the happiest, most content human to walk the face of the earth; thinking of him will always bring a smile.

Preceding Greg in death were his mother Bonnie, his father Dale, and a brother-in-law Randy A. Pinkley. Greg is survived by his sister Valerie Hastings, sister Beverly Pinkley Ewing and her husband Stephen, niece Nicole D. Hibner and her husband Ben, nephew Grant A. Pinkley, nephew Brett D. Pinkley, numerous family and a multitude of friends. A celebration of Greg’s life will be held in Kansas City on October 24 at McGilley’s Chapel, 123rd and State Line Rd. (5:00 – 7:00 visitation, celebration of life 7:00 – 8:00). No flowers please. Private graveside services on Monday October 26, 2015, at Floral Hills East, Lee’s Summit, Missouri. A celebration of life in Ponca, Arkansas will be held on November 14 at the Ponca Chapel from 4:00 -7:00 with shared memories and celebration beginning at 6:00 PM. Condolences can be made at www.mcgilleystatelinechapel.com.

Postscript of Importance: The nickname “Gomez” came about when he first arrived in the Santa Fe Trail neighborhood in the fall of 1970 and a guy was randomly calling people Gomez on the school bus; when Greg got on the bus his first day of school the guy yelled, “hey Gomez, sit down”. He has, since that day, been Gomez wherever his travels carried him. Another key moment in Gomez’s life came when the Shoshoni camp cook, a wonderful character, told Greg that his motto was “work hard and fast so you can spend most of your time at play.” Greg took that motto to heart, although his Santa Fe Trail friends would like anybody having a picture of Gomez actually working to please bring it to the celebration of his life.