Kelly Dale Pinkham

1951 - 2019

Kelly Dale Pinkham, 68, of Prairie Village, Kansas, passed away November 16, 2019, after a brief battle with cancer, surrounded by his family. Kelly is survived by his wife of 34 years, Kathleen Hake Pinkham, his mother, Shirley Pinkham Cunningham, his stepdaughter, Olivia Riscoe Riscovallez, her husband, Jerome Riscovallez, and their children, Ethan, Amelia and Stella, all of Prairie Village and his brothers, Chris (Nancy) Pinkham and Mitch (Mary) Pinkham and sister, Lori Pinkham Donnelly, and her children, Kevin and Madison Donnelly. Kelly was born July 25, 1951, in Wichita, Kansas, to Virgil (V.E.), deceased, and Shirley Pinkham. Kelly graduated from Wichita North High School, Wichita State University and the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Kelly enjoyed careers in a variety of pursuits, including logistics, finance and academia. Kelly was passionate about all of them. He will be remembered for his sense of humor and inquisitiveness about everything. He was a man of adventure and loved traveling and new experiences. He was a wine connoisseur and loved good food (but hold the garlic, peppers and onions, please!). He loved his Manhattan and his Red Dubonnet cocktail, often going to the bar to guide the bartender in making it correctly. Kelly loved music and books and had a huge personal library of music and reading material. Kelly was a warrior for social justice with a keen intellect and tremendous sense of humor. Kelly had an endearing nature and made friends wherever he went, whether in his work life, the golf course or just out to dinner in a new city. He could make connections with people and had a way of making everyone feel special. Kelly was intensely proud of his grandchildren, telling his friends stories about their accomplishments with a broad smile on his face. He loved spending time with them and Kathy, Olivia and Jerome. A celebration of Kelly's life will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2019, at the Unity Temple on the Plaza 707 West 47th Street, Kansas City, Missouri. Visitation at 2, Service at 3, followed by a Reception at Unity. Memorials to cancerresearch.org and KKFI Community Radio. To leave sentiments, cremationcenterkc.com.