Richard August Gilson

Richard "Rich" August Gilson of Bonner Springs, Kansas passed away on November 5, 2025 at his home after a long illness.
Rich was born on November 12, 1946 to Mary Marjorie and Arthur Gustavus Gilson Jr.. He was raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma until his senior year in high school when he moved to the Kansas City area. Rich graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School in 1965. He attended his freshman year of college at the University of Arkansas and then transferred to Kansas State University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969.
After graduation, Rich went to work for Hallmark Cards, Inc. in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Not long after that, he met his wife, Billie whom he married in 1971 and together, they raised three daughters in Overland Park, KS. Rich worked approximately 40 years at Hallmark working as a Creative Prototype Patternmaker with a focus on woodworking. Rich built three-dimensional prototypes for Christmas ornaments and other holiday products and his work even earned two United States Patents. Rich also created corporate gifts for his company's executives and nationally known figures.
After retiring from Hallmark, Rich enjoyed exploring his creativity in his home workshop. Several of his sculptural pieces placed "Best of Show" at the Lenexa Art Fair in Lenexa, KS. In addition to his woodworking, Rich enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, fishing, and roaming the back roads of Kansas and Missouri.
Rich is survived by his wife of 54 years, Billie (Neal) Gilson, his three daughters and their families: Jamie Walls, (granddaughters Ashley and Dylan Walls); Jodi Burgess and her husband Eric Burgess (grandson August "Gus" Burgess and granddaughter Zelda Burgess); and Wendi Engle and her husband Benjamin Engle (granddaughter Jordan Engle and grandson Logan Engle). Rich is also survived by his brother A. Gerald Gilson and his wife Joan Gilson and by two sisters-in-law Geraldine Sestric and her husband Zdravko Sestric and Nancy Powell and her husband George Powell as well as many nieces and nephews and his faithful canine friend Rudi, a long-hair dachshund.
The family has decided that there will not be any public services, rather the family will have a private moment. Rich loved animals, so in lieu of fl owers, please make donations in honor of Rich Gilson to Great Plans SPCA via this link: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/greatplainsspca/