Richard Henry Brunow, son of Henry & Hazel Marie (Korenke) Brunow, was born October 21, 1934 on a farm in Smith County near Kensington, Kansas. He passed away Monday, May 18, 2015 at St. Francis Via Christi in Wichita, Kansas at the age of 80.

Richard attended schools in Phillipsburg, Kansas, graduating from Phillipsburg High School in May, 1952. He went to work for Finkbeiner Firestone that summer until September when he attended the Parks School of Business in Denver, CO for a year, returning to Phillipsburg and his job at Finkbeiner's after business school.

On July 15, 1956, he married Lorene Hayes in Phillipsburg, Kansas. Four children were born to this union: Lynn Marie, Sandra Kaye, Jerilea Lorene and Richard Scott.

Richard went into partnership with Karl Finkbeiner and Henry Stutterheim in 1957 and started a tire retreading business. In 1960 he sold his share of the partnership and moved his family to Greeley, CO, where he went to work for General Tire Co. for three years before acquiring his Colorado real estate license in 1964. In May, 1965, the family moved back to Phillipsburg and Richard worked for Glen Darrah Construction through that summer and winter.

In February, 1966, he began his career with the Kansas-Nebraska Natural Gas Co., starting on the pipeline maintenance crew as an Equipment Operator and soon moving up to Construction Inspector. In 1970 he went back to the maintenance crew as a Foreman until November, 1976, when he was appointed Maintenance Coordinator. In 1979 he was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Pipeline Operations for Kansas, Oklahoma & Texas, a position he held for 6 years. In 1985 he became the Superintendent of Maintenance for KS, OK & TX and then in May, 1992, was relocated to Hastings, NE and again promoted to Superintendent of Eastern NE, along with KS, OK & TX.

In 1995 Richard & Lorene moved to Lakewood, CO where he became Supt. & Manager of Pipeline Construction for the entire KN Energy system: CO, WY, KS, OK, TX and NE. In 1996 he was assigned the duties of upgrading the Pony Express Pipeline (which KN Energy had acquired from Amoco) from crude oil to natural gas. This conversion project took almost two years, the pipeline stretching from west of Riverton, WY to south of Kansas City, MO. Richard retired from KN Energy in May, 1998 and the couple came back to Phillipsburg in May, 2000. They lived here until 2012 and then moved to Wichita to be closer to their son and his family.

Richard was preceded in death by his parents and a half-sister, Phyllis Ebke.

Survivors include his wife, Lorene, of the home in Wichita, KS; son, Scott Brunow & wife, Mandi, also of Wichita; daughters: Lynn Horner & husband, David, Sandra Jennings & husband, Mike, and Jerilea Thummel & husband, Bob, all of Phillipsburg, KS; 8 grandchildren: Jessica, Aaron, Amber, Brandon, Micheal, Katlyn, Jackson and Carson; 7 great-grandchildren: Ava, Ayden, Bently, Payson, Emmalynn, Dominic and Jessa; and his brother, Larry Brunow & wife, Pat, of St. Francis, KS and half-brother, Phillip Brunow & wife, Yvonne, of Fairbury, NE.

Cremation was chosen. Friends may sign the book Thursday, May 21, from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. and again Friday morning at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg.

A memorial service will be held Friday, May 22, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. in the First Assembly of God Church, Phillipsburg, with Pastor Dave Pugh officiating.

Memorial contributions may be given to the Phillipsburg Golf Club, Johnson Cancer Research Center or the First Assembly of God Church.