Gary E. Tegtmeier

1940 - 2020

Gary E. Tegtmeier of Westwood, KS, passed away peacefully the morning of July 4 in the home of his devoted partner, Mary Kowalski. He died just two days shy of his 80th birthday following 19 months in treatment for leukemia. Gary was born July 6, 1940, in Belleville, IL, to Walter Tegtmeier, Jr., and Marion (Simon) Tegtmeier, and grew up as the couple's only child surrounded by doting maternal and paternal grandparents as well as Walter's five sisters. He graduated from Belleville Township High School and excelled academically, athletically and musically. He attended the University of Chicago, where he was a member of the basketball team and Psi Upsilon fraternity, and Southern Illinois University, where he ultimately earned a Ph.D. in microbiology. There he met his former wife of 35 years, Diane (Ogrizovich) Tegtmeier, whom he married in 1965. Following their years in Carbondale, the couple moved to Kansas City where Gary went to work for the Centers for Disease Control before joining the Community Blood Center in 1974. Over the next 37 years, Gary built a testing laboratory and oversaw associated labs responsible for ensuring a safe blood supply for patients in the 40-county Kansas City service area. Much of his work focused on the detection and screening of Hepatitis A, B, and C, as well as HIV, CMV, HTLV and countless blood borne diseases. Over the decades, "Doctor Tegtmeier" earned the respect, admiration and personal friendship of many colleagues and employees, which continued beyond retirement in 2011. Fittingly, the gift of blood donations, and the kind of work to which he dedicated his career, helped extend his own quality of life over the final months. More important to Gary were family, friends and causes in which he believed deeply. He was a loving father, grandfather, uncle, cousin and in-law, and a loyal friend and neighbor to so many. He loved traveling, whether to professional conference destinations or with family and friends across the U.S. and internationally. He was proud of his German heritage, visited Germany many times, and was fluent in the language. Gary loved to experience the natural and cultural wonders of wherever he went. He was a true intellectual and Renaissance man, taking equal pleasure from hours inside the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, a Royals game, a KC Symphony performance, church organ recital, a British mystery on PBS or a Three Stooges rerun. He enjoyed a ballpark hotdog as much as an exquisite meal at his favorite restaurant, Andres, and a cold glass of Free State beer as much as a vintage bottle of fine wine. His deep and abiding love for music was evidenced by an extensive record collection that spans Mozart to Miles Davis, Stravinsky to Steely Dan. His book collection was almost as large. Perhaps more than anything else, Gary loved the wilderness and dedicated much of his life to environmental and conservation causes. After retirement, he could often be found traversing wild, unspoiled places throughout the Midwest and elsewhere in pursuit of rare birds or plant species, of which he shot and printed hundreds of thousands of photographs. He invested nearly as many dollars and hours of sweat into the preservation and stewardship of the planet. He leaves a legacy of having preserved and improved thousands of acres of native tallgrass prairie. Gary will be remembered by his children as a loving, devoted and caring father who provided a comfortable life and moral foundation, a testament to the value of education and to the importance of frugality balanced with generosity, and as a shining example of humility and grace. His grandchildren will remember him fondly for all the birthdays and school and sports activities he attended, as well as his infectious laughter, especially while watching their favorite comedies together. Mary and Diane will remember Gary for years of love and devotion, how he became a beloved member of their respective families, and how he ensured that their love not only continued but expanded over time and through the changes those years brought. Gary is survived by Mary Kowalski, his partner for more than two decades; daughter Kristen Tegtmeier Oertel, her husband Robert Oertel, and children Owen and Lily of Tulsa, OK; son Walter Tegtmeier, his wife Stephanie Tegtmeier, and children Bella and Barrett of Leawood, KS; former wife Diane Tegtmeier and partner Jim Gilkeson of Ashland, OR; brother-in-law Sam Ogrizovich and his wife Jane Ogrizovich of Palos Heights, IL; nephews Jeremy Ogrizovich of Dyer, IN and Jason Ogrizovich of Des Moines, IA; and a long list of beloved family members and friends he leaves behind. A memorial service and musical tribute to Gary will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider any of the organizations important to him in his memory: Kansas Land Trust; Grassland Heritage Foundation; Doctors Without Borders; Kansas City Symphony; Habitat for Humanity; Land Institute; Village Presbyterian Church and its Environmental Action Committee; Nature Conservancy; National Resources Defense Council, National Parks Conservation Association; Metro Lutheran Ministries; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; Friends of Chamber Music; Kansas Public Radio; KCPT, and KCUR.