Tributes

Kenneth Wayne Rich was born to Eugene Virgil Rich and Jose Elizabeth Clayton Rich on February 18, 1925 in Electra, Texas. He passed away in Kerrville, Texas on March 3, 2025 into the loving arms of Jesus. Kenneth’s early life consisted of living in Electra, Texas, Earth, Texas and Albuquerque, New Mexico. He loved to read and told his children many times that he read all the books in the library where he attended grade school (he also confessed that it was a small library). One of his favorite books was the library’s dictionary. He made sure that his children knew many of the unusual words with which he loved to regale them. Early in Ken’s life he also became infatuated with airplanes. World War II occurred when Ken was in High School. As soon as he could he signed up to be in the Army Air Corp with a dream of flying. His tenacity paid off and he became a Co-Pilot of a B-24 in the Pacific Theater. During his training he was based in Corsicana, Texas. It was there that he met his future wife Virginia Lee Sheerer. Of note in his 27 missions with the same crew of 10 men (including him) was that they all survived the war. Fifty years after their last mission all 10 of the crew were still alive. Ken was the last survivor of that crew. Ken and Virginia were married shortly after his return to the States on November 11, 1945. They were married in Virginia’s parent’s home in Corsicana, Texas. They were married over 65 years till Virginia’s death on July 20, 2011. They had a full and active life serving God in churches in Georgia, Japan, New Mexico, and Texas as well as working with Sojourners. They loved to travel and shared that love with their children by taking them all over the United States (“Are we there yet?). Later they enjoyed traveling to a number of countries. Ken and Virginia also had a love for a church-based encampment between Bandera, Texas and Medina, Texas called Camp Bandina. They helped start and run a youth camp on the property and leased their own parts of Camp Bandina where they built a house in the 1980’s. The house was lovingly called Rich’s River Retreat and has been enjoyed by our family for many years. On February 21, 2009, The Rich Welcome Plaza and Labyrinth were dedicated in honor of Kenneth and Virginia Rich in a beautiful ceremony at Abilene Christian University. Ken has faithfully supported Abilene Christian University (ACU) for over the 58 years that ACU has kept records. The first gift to ACU totaled $15 and he and mom had over 703 individual gifts. He also helped many students in attending ACU. On June 20, 2015, Ken married Vera Jean Spurlock Stanley, a lifelong friend from ACU who recently lost her spouse, too. They were married almost 8 years till Jean’s death on May 1, 2023, in Cypress, Texas. Kenneth is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Alvis, and both of his wive of 65 years, Virginia, and his second wife, Jean. He is survived by daughter Gail (John), son John (Cheryl), son Jack (Karen), son Alan (Janice), Jean’s four children and spouses Gaines (Vickie), Michael (Lourdes), Judith (Alan), and Tim (Lee). He is also survived by eleven grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren, and Jean’s nine grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. Kenneth loved telling anyone that would listen about his life stories and ancestry. Together with Virginia they amassed a large collection of documents that proved their ancestry going back a couple of centuries. Their work took them on travels all over the State of Texas and to several places in the United States to gather more information about their ancestors. They even discovered an all but forgotten graveyard. They paid people to clean up and restore the markers. Their work has mostly been computerized and has led to other work that definitively proves ancestry back to the 1500’s. A book about Kenneth’s life and memories was published in 2023. The work was completed by Eric Daulton and is a wonderful testimony to the life of Kenneth and Virginia and then his marriage to Jean. Ken loved butter pecan ice cream, vanilla ice cream from McDonalds with a cone in a cup, the special enchilada recipe Virginia and Jean created in college, crispy fried okra at Billy Jean’s, riding on his scooters, going to the Medina River, traveling the world, carving beautiful walking sticks, Scouting, being active in church, and giving generously to several ministries: each local church were they attended, Abilene Christian University, Abilene Christian Schools, Cherokee Home for Children, King’s Crossing Prison Ministry and Bandina Church of Christ. The reception will be at Mission Park Funeral Chapels and Cemetery Dominion located at 20900 IH 10 W, San Antonio, Texas 78257 at 1:00 pm on 3/16/2025 with the funeral service beginning at 2:00 pm. He will be laid to rest next to his wife Virginia at a family gathering immediately after the funeral. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Bandina Church of Christ or the Kenneth Wayne and Jean Stanley Rich Endowed Scholarship at Abilene Christian University at ACU Gift Records, ACU Box 29132, Abilene, Tx 79699-9132 or bit.ly/RichScholarship. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Mission Park Funeral Chapels.

Tributes

Kenneth Wayne Rich

February 18, 1925 - March 3, 2025