Richard Puhr

Dick Puhr, who built The Examiner’s sports department over four decades, died Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, at Rosewood at The Groves in Independence. Dick was born Jan. 3, 1933, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, and became the adopted son of Victor and Edith Puhr. He graduated from Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Kan., Junior College before earning a bachelor’s degree from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. He served two years in the U.S. Army and then began his long career at The Examiner, where he prided himself on precise record-keeping and his organizational skills, and where he once went 39 years without missing a day of work. He retired after 45 years but continued working part time taking coaches’ calls and keeping statistics for the sports department. He worked until the Friday night before he suffered a stroke on Sept. 21. He was member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and was named to the Blue Springs Wood Bat Hall of Fame for outstanding American Legion baseball coverage. He was a member of the William Chrisman High School and the Truman High School athletic halls of fame for outstanding area high school sports coverage. He received the Sports Magazine Special Services Award; the Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association of Missouri service award; the man of the year award from the Kansas City Men’s Bowling Association for area bowling coverage; a service award from the Greater Kansas City Suburban Conference; the MJAAA distinguished service award, the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association and the MIAA distinguished service award. He belonged to the Rotary Club of Independence with 50 years of perfect attendance and was a Paul Harris Fellow. For some 50 years he was an avid bowler, once bowling a perfect 300 game. There might not have been a bigger KU basketball fan. He saw the first game ever played in Allen Field House. He was preceded in death by his parents and his adopted brother, Victor. He is survived by his best friend, Doris Duke, his Examiner family and all his friends at Rotary and in the Eastern Jackson County sports community. A visitation will be held from 3-5:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 30, at the Speaks Suburban Chapel, 18020 E. 39th St., Independence, MO. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, December 1, at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, 3736 S. Lee’s Summit Road, Independence. Burial follows at Oak Ridge Memory Gardens, Independence. Contributions are suggested to the Dick Puhr Fund for Independence Athletics at the Truman Heartland Community Foundation. Online condolences may be expressed at www.speakschapel.com (Arrangements: Speaks Suburban Chapel 816-373-3600)