Willis C. Reddick

Willis C. Reddick, Jr., 91, of Springfield, Missouri passed away September 27, 2025, preceded in death by his infant son Brent; survived by his wife of 69 years, Melba (Beers) Reddick; daughter Rebecca Reddick (Terry Lybrand) and grandchildren Lindsey Lybrand and Daniel Lybrand (Quynh Duong); sons Wayne Reddick (Kathleen) and Paul Reddick (Bridget Degan); Paul's son Thomas (Nicole) and their three children Nora, Noelle and Emory; Paul's daughter Katelin Cortney (Bryan) and their two children Augie and Heloise; and Paul's son Luke; Melba's sister Patricia Duerksen and her son Jeff (Rochelle); daughter Cyndi Rood (Dan) and their daughters Mattie and Ally.

He was born on February 20, 1934, in Springfield, the only son of Willis Columbus Reddick, Sr. and Clara F. (Stucki) Reddick. In search of work during the Great Depression, the family moved to Charleston, South Carolina that same year, but after a few months Willis was sent back to Springfield to live with extended family due to concerns over his health. Far from being a traumatic separation, Willis would say he was a spoiled child, doted on by grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts and uncles. His parents eventually moved to Memphis Tennessee in 1938, and he rejoined them, returning to Springfield each summer to reconnect with the local clan. When his father signed on with the Frisco Railroad, the family moved back to Springfield and Willis attended Pipkin Junior High School. "The Frisco" sent his father and the family back to Memphis in 1947, where Willis graduated from high school in 1952. Willis always considered Memphis as his home, but Springfield was a close second.

He had a long and distinguished career as a mechanical engineer after earning his degree at the University of Kansas, where he and Melba met and fell in love. He helped develop America's nuclear deterrent at Bendix in Kansas City. He pioneered the use of fiber optics at NASA contractor Chrysler in Huntsville, Alabama for use in booster rockets for manned space flight programs. He was the holder of five telephone handset patents for designs he created while working as a research and development specialist at IT&T in Corinth, Mississippi. At the Frisco Railroad (later Burlington Northern) in Springfield and later Denver, Colorado, he developed safety programs and capital investment projects that resulted in safer working conditions and more efficient rail service.

Those are the nuts and bolts of his career. He had the right to be proud, but the essence of the man was his unassuming, kind, engaging personality, his love and support for family and friends, and his passion for social and individual pursuits as diverse as hunting, fishing, golf, camping, travel, bridge, classical music, philosophy, ancient mythology and theater. He enjoyed simple food, drink and conversation just as much as he enjoyed fine food, dry martinis and serious topics. He was a quietly contemplative religious man, but few knew it because he rarely discussed his convictions unless pressed to do so. He never raised his voice unless it was to sing the sea shanties he so loved or to embarrass his wife and progeny with self-produced goose calls. He loved jokes and stories, saw and expressed humor in appropriate (and mischievously sometimes not so appropriate) situations. He was impossible not to like. Time spent with Willis was time well spent, and although we should not complain that ninety-one years with him was not long enough, it wasn't.
Memorial Service for Willis will be held at 1p.m. on Friday, October 10, 2025, at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home.

Melba, and Willis' children encourage you to donate to your preferred charity in his honor.