Obituaries | The Manhattan Mercury

Randall Charles Umscheid

November 15th, 1951 - April 10th, 2025

Johnson County Funeral Chapel

11/15/1951 - 4/10/2025On Thursday, April 10, 2025, Randall "Randy" Umscheid of Leawood, KS, passed away peacefully at home following a brave journey with advanced metastatic lung cancer, surrounded by the deep love and tender care of his two daughters. Randy was born on November 15, 1951, to Ben and Grayce (Catlin) Umscheid in Manhattan, KS, and was welcomed home by big brother Richard (Rick). Soon after, Rick and Randy welcomed baby sister Vicky, and the trio became known as "Bub, Sis, and Ran". As a child, Randy was active in sports and helped Ben with his Kitty Clover potato chip delivery route and Grayce with the family grocery store before and after school and on the weekends. He had a large extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins, and they'd spend the weekends together playing cards or attending a party that the Umscheids were known for. Throughout childhood, Randy developed a knack for connecting with people through all his activities and easily made friends wherever he went. Many of those friendships were still active until the day Randy passed. Randy graduated from Manhattan High School in 1969 and took a couple of years off before attending and graduating from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy in 1975. Soon after, he became a Certified Public Accountant. He earned his Executive Masters of Business Administration from Rockhurst College (now Rockhurst University) in May of 1989. While working his way through college, he worked part-time as a janitor at Southwestern Bell, and in 1974, with a bit of help and moral support from coworkers and friends, he worked up the courage to ask out Kathleen "Kathy" Gengler, a cute operator from Beloit, KS. Their first date was at the Flush, KS picnic, and on April 24, 1976, they married at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Beloit. Their wedding reception is still talked about with great fondness and laughter, especially Randy's rendition of 'Gloria' by Shadows of Night. In August of 1980, Kathy and Randy welcomed their first daughter, Stacey, and their second daughter, Courtney, in April of 1982. While Randy once wished for a son, he discovered that his daughters were everything he ever neededâstrong, kind, adventurous, and tender-hearted. They became his greatest joy, his proudest legacy, and the perfect companions for every sporting event, game of backyard catch, and travel experience. Randy began his career in public accounting before becoming the Chief Financial Officer at Vile-Goller/Fine Arts, a large printer for Hallmark cards, in 1983. This experience initiated his passion for the commercial printing industry, and in 1996, he purchased Plasticon, Inc., a plastics wholesaler/distributor/converter that directly served commercial printers nationwide. As an employer, Randy ran a tight ship; he had high expectations for quality work, attention to detail, timeliness, and accuracy. But he was also a soft place to land when people were amid life transitions. (It was a running joke that almost everyone in the family worked at Plasticon at some point in their life.) Even though he was understanding and supportive of helping people through tough times, he never let people get too comfortable if it meant sacrificing their ultimate dreams. For instance, if you decided to forgo medical school to stay at Plasticon, Randy would have fired you. He sold the business in 2009 and remained in the industry before retiring in early 2020. After retirement, he worked part-time at St. Andrew's Golf Course in Overland Park to support his newly acquired golf habit. While working and even into retirement, Randy liked to keep busy on the weekends and had a predictable routine - mornings at the gym, afternoons meticulously tending to his lawn before watching K-State, Chiefs, or Royals, and evenings grilling out with a Miller Lite in his hand and his favorite tunes on in the background. Beyond sports, Randy didn't spend much time watching TV; instead, he listened to music across all genres and had a playlist for almost every activity. After retirement, Randy replaced yard work with golf and was involved in many golf leagues. While he was never fantastic at the sport, his love for the social aspect outweighed his competitiveness. He enjoyed getting better at it with practice, and on Wednesday, April 12th, 2023, he got his first and only hole-in-one at St. Andrews Golf Club. It's hard to put Randy's impact on this world into words, but it's fair to say that it already feels less kind and warm without him. He had the kindest and most welcoming spirit that made it possible for him to talk to and befriend anyone (and we mean anyone). He found humor in almost any situation regardless of how dire and serious. He was a walking vault of sports trivia - especially everything K-State related. He never turned down an opportunity to gamble - whether it was the dog track, the casino, or squares for a watch party. And like all the Umscheids before him, he could throw one heckuva party. But most of all, he cherished his family more than anything else. He was unwaveringly devoted to the love of his life, Kathy, and incredibly proud of his daughters. Randy is welcomed into Heaven by his dear wife, Kathy, parents Ben and Grayce, in-laws Buck and Helen Gengler, Godfather John "Jack" O'Brien, grandparents, extended family, and friends. He's survived by his daughters Stacey and Courtney, both of Overland Park, granddog Ruby Sue, brother Rick and wife Colleen, sister Vicky, nieces, nephews, in-laws, cousins, and many friends from all of the chapters of his life. A Rosary will be held at 4:30 PM on Thursday, April 24, 2025, with a visitation from 5 PM-7 PM at Johnson County Funeral Chapel in Overland Park. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, April 25, 2025 at 10:30 AM at CurÃ© of Ars Catholic Church in Leawood with burial following at Resurrection Cemetery in Lenexa and a lunch reception following. In memory of Randy, donations can be made to Kansas City Hospice at https://kchospice.org/donate/

Publication date: April 16th, 2025