Richard Joseph Persyn

1944 - 2016

March 15, 1944 - October 10, 2016

Richard Joseph Persyn, age 72, a descendant of two prominent Belgian farming families of Bexar County, was born on March 15, 1944 in San Antonio, Texas, and died October 10, 2016.

Born to Joseph Leo Persyn and Mary Elizabeth VanDeWalle Persyn, he was the seventh of eight children. His younger years were spent on a farm on Growden Road at the end of the Kelly Field Runway. Watching planes come in for landings on a daily basis started his lifelong love affair with airplanes. His other love was the land. Richard's father died in a tragic accident on Medina Lake when he was only five years-old. His mother continued to farm with the help of her eight children, ranging in age from sixteen to three years of age. Hard labor started early for Richard and his strong work ethic never failed. It was a legacy he passed on to his four children.

In 1963, he graduated from LaSalle Catholic High School, where he not only lettered in football but was selected as All City Center for 1963. He attended St. Mary's University for two years and then returned to working on the family farm. In 1968, he married Linda Su Cooper, also of San Antonio. They stayed on the farm for seven years and then, in 1975, moved to Leon Valley where they would raise their family and remain until his death. Prior to retirement, he served as a technician for his brother Leon at Power Engineering Services.

Rich was a simple man who always had that farmer's body clock that woke him at four-thirty in the morning and put him sound asleep by dark. It was anathema to him to ever call in a repairman for anything except air-conditioning repair. He could analyze and build or fix most anything. It might have been done with baling wire and duct tape and, though not pretty, it always was in working order when he was done.

He is survived by his wife, Linda, of 47 years and their four children: Daniel Joseph and wife Dondi Voigt Persyn (Danielle and daughter Heidi Kate Voigt, Darin Persyn and Dawson Persyn); William Anthony and wife Jennifer Kuznicki Persyn (Olivia, Natalie and Vivienne); Rebecca Persyn Nolan and husband Mike (Abigail); and Carey Persyn Morgan and husband Jason (Harper and Cooper). He was a wonderful Grandfather, known as Pops, to his nine grandchildren and will be dearly missed by them all. Preceded in death were siblings Frank, Josephine Persyn Waddell, Gerald, Gilbert, and Leon. He is survived by brothers Donald and Laurence Persyn. Other family include numerous cousins, nieces and nephews from the Persyn, Van De Walle and Cooper tribes.

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, October 21 at 5 pm at Leon Valley Community Center. A hunter most of his life and a fisherman always, his ashes will be scattered on his beloved Medina Lake at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to SA Cancer Genome Project at SAGenome.net.

Special thanks to Dr Murali Beeram and his nurse Amanda and all of the staff at the START Center in San Antonio for their loving care during his treatment.