Richard Harlan Tustin was born September 22, 1936, at Hadley Hospital in Hays to Harlan and Lorane Elizabeth (Pearce) Tustin. He died October 7, 2014, at the Gove County Medical Center having just turned 78.
Richard attended Liberty, Gove and Oakley grade schools and graduated from Oakley High School with the class of 1955, the first class to graduate in Oakley’s new high school.
On October 28, 1956, Richard was united in marriage to his high school sweetheart, Elaine Clark at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Oakley. They began their nearly 58 years of married life on the family farm ten miles southeast of Gove, which had been tended by the Tustin family since 1900.
Richard was a farmer and livestock man his entire life and was always eager to try new ideas in machinery and tilling to improve his land and passed those ideas to his son and grandsons.
Richard was a member of the United Methodist Church of Gove. He treasured the family history and often remarked that every time someone died a piece of history goes with them. For many years, the family farm has been the gathering spot for relatives from near and far on Memorial Day.
Hunting, collecting guns and cars were hobbies Richard enjoyed, having attended many gun shows and car shows. In 1975, he fulfilled his dreams of becoming an airplane pilot and spent many enjoyable hours with the family flying first a Beech Sundowner, then a Beechcraft Bonanza.
Richard never met a stranger and will be remembered by many for the long hours spent visiting and telling stories. He truly enjoyed all his children and grandchildren; traveling to all their sporting events.
Richard will be dearly missed by his wife, Elaine, of the home; one son, Wayde and wife Cindy, and their children Taylor and Evan of Gove; two daughters, Jana and husband Shawn Huse, and their children Kadie, Emily, and Rebecca of Grinnell, Jill Tustin and her children Kyle and Dayna Shaw of Grainfield; one sister Carolyn Smith of Wichita; and brother-in-law Don Bland of McPherson. He was preceded in death by his parents; and infant daughter Jannine Elaine in 1959; his sister Berneice Bland; and brothers-in-law Conrad Rose and Don Smith.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m., Friday, October 10, 2014 at the United Methodist Church of Gove. Burial will be at the Gove Cemetery.
Visitation with the family is available before or after the service in Gove on Friday.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Gove United Methodist Church. Checks made payable to the church may be sent in care of Schmitt Funeral Home, 901 South Main, Quinter, KS 67752.
Condolences may be left for the family at www.schmittfuneral.com.