Lester “Ray” Gillespie

Lester Raymond "Ray" Gillespie, 74 of Basehor, KS, was called home to Heaven during a peaceful sleep on August 16, 2020.

An incredibly hard worker who dearly loved his family, Ray will be remembered as the kind of man who gave his wife the world, his children a guiding light, and his grandchildren a pool and go-kart track for when they visited Nana and Papa's house. Born on November 7, 1945, Ray is preceded in death by his parents Irene (Pflumm) and Lester. He is lovingly remembered by the love of his life of 55 years Utona; children Devin and Angie; four grandchildren: Sara, Lexi, Austin, and Paige; sister Judy; niece Susan, 2 nephews and three great grandchildren.

In addition to devoting 44 years to TWA/American Airlines, Ray dedicated much of his life to building homes for his family including a lake house at Pomme de Terre, where he spent nearly every summer. Upon retiring in 2009, Ray's newfound free time allowed him to spend more time outdoors landscaping and building activities for his grandchildren. With a passion for all life, Ray's caring nature extended to animals and even his trees and plants, and he is finally reunited with all of his dogs who he loved more than anything. On the rare occasion he wasn't busy selflessly tending to the world, he was always sitting in one his favorite spots: outside, the workshop in his garage, or on his recliner with a beer in hand. In his later years, Ray was a patron of Westside Family Church, which strengthened his relationship with God.

Husband, Dad, Papa, and child of God, Ray continuously lived up to and surpassed the expectations of every roll he played in his long, full life.

Family and friends can celebrate Ray's life on Monday, August 24th at 2:00 p.m. at Westside Family Church, 8500 Woodsonia Drive, Lenexa, KS.

In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to the Great Plains SPCA, 5428 Antioch Dr., Merriam, KS 66202 https://www.greatplainsspca.org/ or the American Stroke Foundation 5960 Dearborn St., Suite 100, Mission, KS, 66202 http://www.americanstroke.org