William Richard Eaken

William Richard Eaken died September 21, 2019 at his home. He was born February 18, 1951 in Hugoton, KS, the son of Lee Frederick and Mildred Josephine (Sommer) Eaken. Except for a brief period while living in Huntington Beach, CA, he attended Topeka area schools. He graduated from Seaman High School and received a BS degree in Business Management from Friends University, Wichita, KS.

Richard married Nancy Rae VanOrsdol Henry in 1978. Richard and Nancy had a daughter, Autumn Rae.

Richard was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy; parents; sisters, Janice Lee Clark and Sharon Lee McKeehan; a nephew, Derek Paul Grabauskas; a great-niece, Rhonda Dicostantino; and great nephews, Daniel Paul McKeehan and Nicholas Theocharides.

Richard was retired from Collective Brands Inc., aka Payless ShoeSource after over 35 years of service. While there, he earned the Master of Corporate Real Estate designation from the National Association of Real Estate Executives, was certified by Kepner-Tragoe, of Princeton, N J, as a Problem Solving/Decision Making instructor, and was active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers as well as SPECS (store planning, equipment, construction and facilities services).

Richard enjoyed several hobbies, including genealogy, painting, gardening, cooking, fiber arts, digital photo and movie editing, collecting and reading. He and Nancy were active in the St. Francis Cancer Center's Art & Wellness Group at the Mulvane Art Center, and he was an active member of the St. Francis Ostomy Group.

Richard is survived by his daughter, Autumn; step-son, Brandon (Kayla) Henry; grandchildren, Boston and Alyssa; sister, Debra (Bill) Phillips; two aunts, several nieces, nephews and cousins.

The family would like to thank Teresa Kellerman, APRN and the oncology and surgical teams at St. Francis Hospital and KU Med; Shadé and the hospice and personal care teams at Interim Healthcare; Barb Ballentine; Ralph Hoyos; the Henry family; and his neighbors at Mayfair Place.

Memorial services will be at 10:30AM, Monday, September 30, 2019 at Parker-Price Funeral Home, 245 NW Independence Ave., Topeka. A reception will follow the service at Parker-Price Reception Center across the parking lot. After the reception, the family invites attendees to follow a procession to Grantville Cemetery for inurnment.

Memorial contributions may be made to Midland Hospice, 200 SW Frazier Circle, Topeka, KS 66606 or Helping Hands Humane Shelter, 5720 SW 21st St, Topeka, KS 66604.

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