Marion Rizzo

Marion Rizzo, the "Arma Flash," died in his sleep on November 17, 2015 at the age of 92. He was the proud father of 8 children; grandpa of 23; and great- grandpa of two little cuties. The son of Italian immigrants, Marion was born on June 20, 1923, in Springfield, Ill. His father's work as a coal miner brought the family to southeast Kansas, and the small town of Arma. Marion attended high school in Arma where he lettered in track and graduated in 1941. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served during World War II. After leaving the Army as a technical sergeant, he moved to Kansas City, where he worked for TWA and the Kansas City Blues baseball team before hiring on with Universal Car Loading and Distributing and later Stowe Hardware before he retired.

One night at the old Plaza Bowl he met a thin, vivacious brunette named Barbara Grove and they married in 1956 after a long courtship. They had their first child in Aug. 1957. Six kids in 7 years later they took a break, before adding two more sons to the brood. Marion loved all the perks of fatherhood. Whether it was sledding Devil's Dip, hiking through the dump (Coleman Highlands folks will know), ice skating at Penn Valley or playing catch and hot box in the backyard, he was always involved in their lives. His grandkids and great-grandkids were an equal joy to him. At night, he would sing lullabies to the little ones. His repertoire including You Are My Sunshine, Show Me the Way to Go Home and Ka-Ka-Ka-Katie.

Marion stayed fit by walking everywhere. Walking to work in all weather, walking to the store or walking to the tennis courts where he routinely trounced younger players well into his 80s. If Fitbit had been a thing in his day, he would have gone through about 3 a year.

Marion was preceded in death by his parents, Tony and Addie and siblings, Tony and Matilda. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; children Tony (Margaret); Andy (Karen); Diane (Christy); Kathy (Greg); Gina; Donna; James (BeLinda); and Joseph (Nikki); grandchildren, Jenny, Jesse, Michael, Tara, Natasha, Tatiana, Ian, Mirabel, Katie, Erin, Phil, Tom, Barbara, Katrin, Stephanie, Madison, Connor, Porter, Dominic, Vincent, Gianna, Kelsey and Jackson; and great- grandchildren Jadyn and Finn. We will all miss our daddy. Visitation will be 5-7 pm Friday, November 20, 2015 at the McGilley Midtown Chapel, 20 W. Linwood Blvd., Kansas City, MO, where the service will follow at 7:00 pm. Burial will be 10:00 am Saturday, November 21, 2015 at the Forest Hill/Calvary Cemetery, 6901 Troost, Kansas City, MO.