Richard Eugene Nelson

Rich Nelson was a farm boy with worldly interests, a kind soul with a droll wit, and a talented physician who put the wellbeing of others before his own. His integrity, faith, and compassion were evident in the way he treated his family, patients, friends, and colleagues. Slow to anger and quick to forgive, he met obstacles with calm resolve and marveled at life’s good fortunes with humility and gratitude. He taught his wife and children by example to love one another unconditionally and accept other people as they come. An eternal optimist with an uncommon capacity for forming consensus and finding resolutions to difficult conflicts, he knew how to take the temperature down before a situation boiled over. He had kind eyes, a warm smile, a disarming sense of humor, and countless idiosyncrasies that his family and friends adored.

Rich grew up on his family’s farm in Parker, South Dakota, where he played baseball with his brothers in the fields and had Sunday dinners after church with their aunt and uncles, who lived down the road. In high school, his teachers took notice of Rich’s intelligence and encouraged him to pursue an advanced education, which he did, first at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. It was there that he met Mona, his future wife, taking her on their first date the night before his MCAT exam. Smitten from the start, he convinced Mona to marry him in a hurry before he set off to medical school. Four years later, he earned his M.D. with High Honors and election to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honors society from Baylor Medical School in Houston, Texas, where Eric, the first of his four children, was born. Rich and his family moved from Texas to the greater Boston area, where his daughter, Änna, was born, to further his specialty training through the Harvard Medical School with an internship at the affiliated hospital in Salem, Massachusetts and an anesthesia residency and cardiac anesthesia fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. While at MGH, he served as chief resident. Years later, he would reflect fondly on his time in Massachusetts, reminiscing about lobster rolls in Marblehead and the charm of Boston’s North Shore. He returned frequently to New England, first for meetings of the New England Society of Anesthesiologists, of which he eventually became president, and later, to visit his children and grandchildren in the region. 

In 1982, Rich returned to the Midwest and settled his family in Overland Park, Kansas, where he welcomed two more daughters, Laura and Elyse. There, he began a career of over 35 years as the Director of Cardiac Anesthesiology at the Mid America Heart Institute at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. He served as president of the Kansas City Society of Anesthesiologists, president of the Missouri Society of Anesthesiologists, delegate of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and represented anesthesia interests on the Government Affairs Committee for the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists. Rich loved his work. The long hours and overnight shifts were made easier by his passion for serving others through medicine and his confidence in and loyalty to his work partners and colleagues. In his purpose-driven approach to his profession, he set a sterling example for his children. “Follow your dreams” was a common refrain in his household. 

His ability to balance a demanding career with family commitments was a blessing to his wife and children. He never missed a sporting event or milestone and was known to take phone calls from his kids in the OR. In the six years since his retirement in 2018, Rich embraced his role as grandfather. Channeling his inner child, “Pops,” as they called him, spent quality time with each of his grandchildren, playing sports, reading books, and engaging in silly games and banter. He also spent more time pursuing his varied interests, from gardening and golf, which he played regularly, to book club, dog duties, and cooking, a hobby he took up with a methodical precision and excitement that none of his loved ones found surprising. He shared season Royals tickets with friends, and his childhood love for baseball never faded. Nor did his interest in medicine, which he nourished by reading medical journals. In August 2023, he and Mona celebrated 50 years of marriage.

Rich passed away peacefully around 6PM on July 17 in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Saint Luke’s surrounded by family and the medical partners with whom he built the Heart Institute. Rich is survived by his wife, Mona (Overland Park, KS); their four children, Richard Eric Nelson and wife Regina (Chatham, NJ); Änna Wilt and husband Blake (Leawood, KS); Laura Bolgen and husband Kurt (Melrose, MA); Elyse Nelson and husband Joseph Costa (New York, NY); his brother, David Nelson and wife Amy (Vermillion, SD); nine beloved grandchildren, Reese, William, Greyson, Elle, Jack, Campbell, Henrik, Nash, and Benton; an expected granddaughter; two nephews, Bo and Ryan; and a niece, Brooke. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Eugene, Loretta, and Roger Nelson. Those of us who had the privilege to be part of his life will miss his strength and compassion and cherish the positive impact he had on our lives. 

Visitation will be at 1PM on Wednesday, July 24 at the Wesley Covenant Chapel at Church of the Resurrection, 13720 Roe Avenue, Leawood, KS 66224, followed by a funeral service at 2PM and a reception following. Inurnment will be private. The service will be live-streamed and can be viewed at cor.org/memorialsonline

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Rich’s memory may be made to Church of the Resurrection’s BookMobile Ministry at cor.org/memorial or mailed to 13720 Roe Ave. Leawood, KS 66224, attn: memorials. Please specify “Richard Nelson-BookMobile.” Memorial gifts in Rich’s memory may also be made to Turn the Page KC at https://turnthepagekc.networkforgood.com/projects/143933-ignite-a-child-s-passion-for-reading or mailed to Turn the Page KC, 107 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105. Please specify “Richard Nelson Memorial.” 

The family thanks the physicians and attending medical staff at Saint Luke’s South and Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute for providing the best possible medical attention and compassionate care in his final days. Condolences may be left for the family below.