William R. Sargent

William Richard "Dick" Sargent passed away on November 4, 2013. He was born on August 31, 1933 in Topeka, Kansas; son of the late Dixie and William "Bill" Sargent.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 52 years, Shirley Gean Sargent, on October 14, 2006. Dick and Shirley were married on December 15, 1953 in Topeka, Kansas. He was also preceded in death by one nephew.

Dick is survived by his sister, Joanna Hoglund of Wheaton, IL; son James Sargent of Houston, Texas; son Rick (Terri) Sargent of Topeka, Kansas; daughter Carroll Sargent of Topeka, Kansas; daughter Dixie Sargent of Prescott, Arizona; 2 nephews, 2 nieces, and five grandchildren.

He graduated from Topeka High School in 1951 and attended the University of Kansas. Dick retired in 2005 from Schmidtlein Excavating after 16 years. Dick was very close to the Schmidtlein's and considered them as part of his family. He was in excavation for most of his life and started out with Sargent Excavating that he and his dad ran for many years until the tornado of 1966 that wiped it out.

In Dick's middle years he built various model cars, airplanes, and ships. He was particularly proud of the Bugatti model he built and drove in the 1970's. Planting, gardening, and yard work were something he enjoyed in his spare time. In the 1980's he had around 100 different cacti that he grew and cared for. When his kids were younger, Dick piloted small, private airplanes and would take his family up to see the lights at Christmas over Topeka. He would also occasionally fly the kids to special sporting events such as swim meets in other cities. He would spend many summer months at the airport watching airplanes take off and land with his kids as part of his love for flying. Together, both Dick and Shirley loved to vacation in the desert with trips to Arizona, Southern Colorado, and New Mexico. He particularly loved traveling by train as he and his dad would travel to different areas while his dad was working for Santa Fe when he was younger.

Dick became very spiritual in his later years becoming an active member at Countryside Methodist Church. He spent many hours with his bible study group, mentoring kids, and going along on church field trips in the Kansas area. He also volunteered for the church and loved selling pumpkins every Halloween season.

Dick was a hard working, family man and made sure his wife and kids were always taken care of. He loved his family dearly and will be greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Countryside Methodist Church.

A memorial service will be held at 11am on November 26, 2013 at Countryside Methodist Church. 3221 SW Burlingame Road, Topeka, KS 66611. A gathering for family and friends will be held directly after the memorial service at the Sargent household.