Gerald J. Van Buskirk, 81, devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, coach and teacher died peacefully in his sleep October 8, 2012. Visitation will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, October 11 at the Church of the Nativity, 3800 West 119th Street in Leawood. A Catholic Mass will follow at 11:30 a.m. Entombment will be held in the Faith Mausoleum at Mt. Moriah Cemetery. A reception will follow the entombment. Gerald and his wife Bebe were preparing to celebrate their fifty-seventh wedding anniversary later this month. Besides his wife and two children, Nancy and John, Gerald had 3 passions in his life - tennis, reading, and children. Golf was a love/hate relationship for decades. He started the St. Elizabeth Basketball Intramural Program for hundreds of kids, was active in the Big Brother Program, and served as a mentor and tutor to children in the Kansas City School Districts Upper Room up to the day of his death. Gerald graduated from Rockhurst High School and Rockhurst College. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and worked in the packaging business. He is survived by his wife Barbara (Burrichter) Van Buskirk, daughter Nancy married to Kevin Connell, son John married to Molly (Donahue), and Gracie. Gerald and Bebe have seven grandchildren, Carrie (Connell) Baer, Brian and Matt Connell, and Maggie, Colleen, Shannon, and Johnny VanBuskirk. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to The Upper Room at 5930 Swope Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64130 (816)-363-3819 or online at http://www.upperroomprogram.org/programs/after-school. Condolences may be offered at www.mtmoriah-freeman.com
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