Ronald Gail Dull

Ronald Gail Dull was born in Jamison, Missouri. His parents, Juanita and Ray, moved there, where family lived, during the depression, and Gail was born. He grew up going by his middle name Gail. He did not grow up in Jamison but grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from East High School. He was an athlete, playing football, a literary member and the Editor-in-Chief of his High School paper. Gail was an Eagle scout and a member of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, as well as the Order of the Arrow. He was the first person at his High School to receive a full ride scholarship to Yale University.

He attended Yale from 1951-1955 graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering. While there he was a member of the ROTC and the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. For a boy from modest, humble means from the mid-west, and parents with only a 10th grade education, Yale opened his eyes to new things and people from many walks of life. He told us that he would mail his laundry home to Kansas City and his mom would do it and mail it back because he did not have access to a washer and dryer.

Upon graduation he accepted a job with Union Wire Rope in Kansas City, Missouri, and at the same time was scheduled to serve in the United States Air Force. They held his position as an Engineer until he left the military. He achieved the rank of Captain and was the Navigator on a refueler KC-97. He began dating Betty Jo Howell after college when he met her through one of her girlfriends the summer of 1955. They dated while he was in the service, three years, and married while he was still in the service and lived in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was during the service that Gail went by Ron.

After the service Ron and Betty moved back to their hometown of Kansas City and bought their first home in Prairie Village, Kansas. Gail, as he went back to his middle name, began working for what was now Armco Steel (because they bought out Union Wire Rope) and retired with them after 31 years, in 1986. They first attended Emmanuel Baptist Church and then moved to Colonial Presbyterian Church. It was at Colonial where Gail really began to grow in his faith. He had come to Christ as a child, but God used the people and the teaching at Colonial to grow him in his faith.

Gail and Betty brought two children into the world while living in their home in Prairie Village, first a son, Barry and then two years later a daughter, Leigh Ann. In 1965 they moved into a new home in Overland Park, Kansas where they remained for 31 years until 2003, when they moved to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, where they lived for 14 years. Dad loved it there and they golfed and made new friends and found a great church, Balboa Baptist Church.

Dad was a very involved parent. He never missed a game, a dance, a cheer, a play. He coached sports, he was Den Leader for Cub Scouts, he was Y Indian guide leader where he was called “Big Bear” and Barry was called, “Little Bear”. He coached Leigh Ann’s softball where he didn’t know what to do when the girls would cry because they didn’t like the position he placed them at. He took Barry and Leigh Ann up to the elementary school many Saturdays when they were kids to ride this awesome go-cart he had bought them. He taught Leigh Ann how to Ballroom dance in the living room. He loved dancing with mom, joking, laughing, and drinking. He was the life of the party.

2012 began the trials of dad’s health when he was diagnosed with squamous cell cancer in his mouth. He had numerous surgeries, radiation and chemo and in January of 2016 it seemed that there was little left to try, but God opened an opportunity for him to be on a trial immunotherapy drug, OPDIVO. For him it was a miracle drug and immediately he began to see healing outwardly and inwardly of the cancer. By winter 2017 the cancer was gone, but the residual from it remained. Due to the fragility of his body, and he and mom growing older, they moved to a home that Barry built for them across the street from him in Dallas. It has been a wonderful home and closer to family. Dad in his last years enjoyed sitting on the front porch, watching our favorite teams: KC Royals, Chiefs and KU basketball. Many great conversations were had in the car or in waiting rooms at doctor’s offices, the most enjoyable were on the front porch. He still had his spunk, wanted to do things his way, yet had softened in his years of illness.

God gave us more years with dad than we thought we would have when we got that initial cancer diagnosis in 2012. Dad went peacefully on January 17th as he had finished a smoothie and was watching the Kansas City Chiefs. He will be deeply missed. He was a great father, husband, uncle, coach, and more. Though not perfect, but perfect for all of US.

A Celebration of Gail's Life will take place at 10:30am, Saturday, February 20 at Journey Bible Church, 13700 West 151st Street, Olathe, Kansas 66062. Private interment will follow in Mount Moriah Cemetery.

On behalf of Ron/Gail’s wife, Betty, daughter Leigh Ann, and son Barry. Thank you