Richard Ray Lennington

December 1, 2022

Richard Ray Lennington, 56                

A hard-working skilled HVAC technician with 9 lives, finally cashed in on his 10th and final life on Monday.

Richard Ray Lennington was born on August 1st, 1966, to Arnold Lennington and Mary Sullins. He spent his childhood years growing up in Lakin and Syracuse, Kansas.  Rich also was blessed with the most amazing bonus parents, Joan Lennington and Harold Sullins.

Rich was the youngest and shortest kid in his class. He made up for his height and age by being the class clown and dare devil, constantly cracking jokes and breaking bones to impress his peers. He carried this onery personality into his high school and college years, where after hopping around from school to school he finally got enough education to become the best HVAC man you would ever find on this side of the Mississippi.

Rich was known as the type of guy who you could call on a Sunday night with heating problems and he would be there within the hour to fix it. He worked for the gas company in Goodland, Kansas for a number of years. During that time, he met Carol Lennington while fixing her furnace. The two hit it off so much they decided to get married a couple months later. Rich and Carol had two kids, Brooke and Hunter, and Rich also became a bonus dad to Carol’s first daughter, Nichole. The two would stay together for about a decade (ten years too long, if you ask the kids) and eventually divorced.

Rich would later go on to have two more kids that he was extremely proud of, Sarah and Thaddeus, with Esmeralda Asebedo.

Despite his many health issues related to his alcoholism, Rich decided to start his own HVAC business called Rich’s Refrigeration.  As if running one business on his own wasn’t chaotic enough, he decided to buy Cynthia’s Pizzeria in Syracuse, Kansas. Despite Rich’s crazy antics and lack of organization, he knew how to do two things: make a dang good pizza and fix an A/C unit.

In 2016 at the age 50, Rich suffered a massive stroke which left him paralyzed on the left side of his body. He spent the last six years of his life adjusting to his new normal, while also raising awareness about strokes and alcoholism with the help of his daughter Brooke. As much as he struggled the last few years of his life, he got so much joy out his seeing his grandkids, Jayden, Zach, and Jackson – who shares his birthday with Rich.

He’s survived by his siblings Stephanie Bradshaw, Krissie Christiansen, Kimmie Delgado, Chad Jury; step-dad Harold Sullins; and children Nichole, Brooke, Hunter, Sarah, and Thaddeus; and nephews Tyler, Kayden, Miles and Jensen. He’s preceded in death by his father and mother, Arnold and Mary, and his step-mom, Joan, and a brother, John.

Rich was heavily involved with the Kansas Family Stroke Foundation prior to his death, he attended their annual stroke camps. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that you consider donating to the foundation, making checks out to the ‘Kansas Family Stroke Foundation,’ and sending them to: 108 North Shore Drive, Council Grove, KS 66846. 

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. In the meantime, his family encourages you to celebrate his life and perhaps opt for a glass of water instead of a beer.