I dont normally post a ton of personal items, but this one is different. My father passed last week. Like most of us, I felt my Father was a great man, not perfect his whole life, but still my best friend and a tremendous source of inspiration and guidance. Someone I could always count on. Someone who gave so much and so much of himself to each family member in so many unique ways. His gifts were many... 5 sport letter man in high school, 1st team All State in Baseball and Football and Basketball. Later he was a heck of a golfer and always a ferocious ping pong player....a trait now reflected in multiple generations of our family. After being part of Americas Greatest Generation and serving in the Army in Europe during WWII, he returned home and eventually learned sales the hard way, door to door. After several varied entrepreneurial attempts he ended up in Real Estate and found a home. Time in the business passed quickly and he soon had his own company. His best friends were other Broker/owners who together purchased a Title company. This was during the time before mega franchises like Re/Max or Keller and especially long before RESPA Laws limited what Title companies can do to support their Realtor Clients. He and his friends traveled the world on that Title Company. They played golf from Hawaii to Europe and Canada to Mexico and the Caribbean. They and their wives were the Real Estate Rat Pack of their time. He served as President of the Johnson County Kansas Real Estate Board. During his tenure he pushed through the first MLS in the area, which of course was a major change in their business at the time. The nearest active MLS was in Dallas which meant another road trip Im sure. He served as the first President of the newly formed MLS which opened the door to me as 16 year old to be the MLS driver who daily hit every Real Estate office in the county with the new listing packs that went to each agent 5 days a week for their new MLS Book. Thank God for computers! Later in life he learned to draw his own house plans and built many homes, primarily in Arizona and Texas. 4 years ago he was diagnosed with Throat Cancer. He took the radiation treatments but they were extremely difficult for him. Being forced to have your head bolted to a table can be claustrophobic for anyone. Those radiation treatments nearly killed him. Not being able to swallow and only getting nourishment through a tube was the beginning of the end for him. He fought through it and eventually was able to eat and drink again but never regained the weight his loss. My sister Jan took time off to be with him and provide long term care for him just as she did for Mom 15 years ago. She is a saint. A year ago the Cancer was back. This time the Cancer was not going to be beat. A complete laryngectomy was the only option. It was difficult for Dad losing his voice completely. Again, he dealt with it and learned to work with an artificial voice. It was never easy and I missed the hours long conversations he and I would have from time to time. On Dec 17th he suffered a major stroke. He was hospitalized for 5 days and then moved to a wonderful Hospice Care facility in Rogers, Arkansas where he had retired to. He passed on January 5th quietly in his sleep. Jan was by his side. He and Mom were both special people. Both were blessed with the ability to communicate and a tremendous sense of humor. When Dad opened his company Mom got in the business too as an agent. Many years after she passed I was calling on a Real Estate company as a loan officer looking for business in Kansas City. The agent on floor who met me recognized the last name Alumbaugh. She asked if I had a relative named Billie. I said yes my Mom. She shared that Mom was her agent when the family transferred to KC from Denver many years ago. She told me that Mom was the reason she was in the business. Her entire approach to the business was based on the example that mom had given them as her agent many years ago. What a blessing to hear those words. So thats my parents dear friends. They were both wonderful people who are missed greatly everyday. Waymond D. Alumbaugh, age 87 of Rogers, Arkansas, passed away January 5, 2015. Waymond was born May 2, 1927 in Circleville, Kansas to parents Ross Alumbaugh and Frances Sutton Alumbaugh. Raised primarily in Topeka, Ks where he excelled in all sports as a young man, he later fostered a strong entrepreneurial spirit and worked for many years as a prominent Realtor in Kansas City. He was a gifted athlete throughout his life and especially enjoyed golfing and ping pong with his family. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 50 years, Billie Jean, parents and one brother, Burt Alumbaugh and sister, Elizabeth Briggs. Waymond is survived by sons, Wayne Alumbaugh of Rogers and Michael Alumbaugh of El Dorado Hills, California; daughter, Janet Hansen of Bella Vista; sister, Beulah Holtmeyer of Rogers; Brother-in-Law Dale Jones of Massachusetts, five grandchildren, three great grandchildren and 7 nieces and nephews. Memorial Services are set for Noon on Sunday, January 11, 2015 at the Circle of Life Legacy Village Hospice Chapel, 1201 NE Legacy Parkway, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712. Arrangements are with Benton County Memorial Park Funeral Home, 3800 W.Walnut, Rogers. In lieu of flowers the family suggest making a Donation to your local Hospice as they found the support and care received from Circle of Life invaluable.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 17:38:40 +0000
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