Dick Onley

(From Parker Mortuary)

Richard T. (Dick) Onley, age 90 of Joplin, passed away on September 30, 2016 at The Communities of Wildwood Ranch.

Born August 8, 1926 in Philadelphia, Pa, he was the son of the late Otho T. Onley and Marion L. Travis Onley. He moved with his family to Claymont, DE, where Dick grew up and graduated from Claymont High School in 1944. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and left for the service. After being discharged at the end of World War II in Europe, he joined the Merchant Marine and was assigned to a ship taking German prisoners of war back to Bremerhaven, Germany and returning with W.A.C.s and war brides from LaHavre, France.

In 1946, he started at the University of Delaware, receiving his Mechanical Engineering Degree in 1950. He started work at Atlantic Refining Co. in Philadelphia in a management training program, remaining with them for ten years.

He then joined Catalytic Construction Co. out of Philadelphia, which did industrial plant maintenance and engineering work on a contract basis. He traveled extensively, directing this work in plants in the U.S. and Canada. He was then assigned, during the Cold War with USSR, to the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile sites near Cheyenne, WY, working there for a year.

Dick then joined Atlas Chemical Co. in Wilmington, DE and was eventually transferred to Joplin, where he remained until retirement.

Dick served as president of American Field Service (AFS) for three years during the mid 1970’s. A volunteer at Ronald McDonald House since its opening in 1998, he and Mary were chosen Volunteers of the Year in 2001. A longtime member of the Joplin Rotary Club, he served on the Board, was Chairman of the International Committee for several years, and he and Mary were both Rotary Paul Harris Fellows.

He obtained his private pilot license and enjoyed flying. He also enjoyed trips to Colorado each winter for skiing. He was an avid racquetball player for many years.

He married his high school sweetheart in 1949, Mary Simpson Onley, whom he lost to Leukemia in 2007 after 57 years of marriage. Together, they were avid travelers and had visited all 50 state capitols as well as many foreign countries.

Dick is survived by three children, Rick Onley, Susan Onley Pickett, Mark Onley; two grandchildren, Jonathan Pickett (Jennifer Dodson), Kristen Schmidt (John); three great grandchildren, Brinleigh, Anthony, Jeran; a brother, Wendell Onley (Rosemarie) several nieces and nephews in the Wilmington, DE area; and his significant other, Ruth Chapman.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. at Byers Avenue United Methodist Church with Rev. Gerald Powley and Rev. Max Raney officiating. Interment will follow in Osborne Memorial Cemetery. The family will receive friends Monday from 6-8:00 p.m. at Parker Mortuary. Dick requested memorial contributions be made to Byers Avenue United Methodist Church, the Ronald McDonald House, the Noon Joplin Rotary Club, or a charity of your choice.

The family would like to thank the entire staff at Communities of Wildwood Ranch for the care and compassion they showed to Dick during his stay there.

Arrangements are under the direction of Parker Mortuary.