Ltc (Ret.) Richard John Powierza

LTC (Ret.) Richard Powierza, 71, of Manhattan passed away Friday, March 12th. Richard was born July 10, 1949, in Lawrence, Massachusetts to the late Joseph and Rose Ann (Beaudoin) Powierza.   Richard joined the United States Army on July 29, 1973, after earning his Bachelor's degree from Kansas State.  Richard spent his military career between military contracting and recruiting.  He was praised by several top military officials for his work in improving the Officer Clubs throughout Germany.  He was the station commander at the Des Moines Recruiting Company and was highly regarded for his dedicated service throughout that time. In his younger years, Dick enjoyed running, playing racquetball, and attending K-State sporting events, specifically baseball and football.  While attending K-State, he played under Vince Gibson, fondly known for his "We Gonna Win!' slogan.  During his time at K-State, he was also recruited, although declined by the prestigious West Point Military Academy.   Richard's Military Awards include the Legion of Merit, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Ribbon. Richard is survived by his spouse Karin; brother Jim Powierza of Florida; step-son Gerhard Shipley of Lawrence, Kansas; nieces, nephews, cousins, and a lifetime of friends. Visitation will be held Tuesday, March 23rd at Carlson's Irvin-Parkview Funeral Home from 10 am until 12 pm with graveside services with military honors to follow at 1 pm at the Kansas Veteran's Cemetery, Manhattan, Kansas. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, graveside services will be live-streamed on our Facebook page. To send online condolences to the family, please visit us at www.irvinparkview.com