Obituary of Richard VanTine

Richard Lee �Dick� VanTine of Lake Ozark, Missouri (formerly of East Peoria, Illinois) died on March 19, 2010, at Lakeside Meadows Retirement Center, Osage Beach, Missouri. He was 86 years old. Dick was born on June 14, 1923, in Manito, Illinois. He married his high school sweetheart, Marjorie Smith, on November 30, 1942, when then eloped while Dick was home on leave. Dick and Marge shared 61 years of marriage together until her passing in 2003. Dick was a graduate of Manito High School and a veteran of the United States Navy, having served in the South Pacific in World War II. He was at sea when his only son, Kent VanTine, was born on June 7, 1945. Marge notified him of Kent�s birth in a letter he received three weeks later. Like many other soldiers of the time, Dick didn�t see his son until he was six months old. He always reported, �It was love at first sight.� From the late 1940�s until the early 1970�s, Dick was employed as a sales manager for Butternut Bread. His employment took him from Peoria to Kansas City, but he eventually returned to Central Illinois to establish Van Tine�s Feed Company in Mason City with his son in 1974. �Poor Dick� and �Lonesome Kent� were the proprietors of the restaurant, formerly known as Cranwill�s, for 22 years. Van Tine�s was known for its �world famous smorgasbord�, but it was even more beloved by its customers because of the wit and character of its owners. Dick was often stationed at the end of the buffet line serving up a steamboat round of beef along with a joke or two. He and the late Gil Morton (Gil�s of Hanna City) frequently teamed up to entertain patrons singing and playing the spoons at the restaurant piano. The restaurant was struck by lightening and burned to the ground on Memorial Day of 1996. During his lifeline, Dick VanTine logged thousands of miles bicycling both around Central Illinois as well as across America. In the late 60�s, he peddled from Denver to Mason City with his best friend, Gil. Later adventures would take him to the coast of California and through Montana and Wyoming. He always said that this best bicycling moment was riding across the Continental Divide. Dick is survived by his daughter-in-law, Barbara VanTine of Lake Ozark, Missouri. He had two granddaughters, of whom he was exceedingly proud. Austin VanTine is a junior at the University of Texas and Jordan VanTine is a senior at School of the Osage High School. His wife and son predeceased him. The family will conduct a private memorial service. There is no visitation. It is requested that memorials in Dick�s honor be made to the Texas 4000 cycling team and his granddaughter, Rider Austin VanTine. Texas 4000 is a team of riders who raise money for cancer research. Austin will begin riding with her team on June 5, 2010, from Austin, Texas, ending in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 13, 2010. This trek will log over 4,500 miles. She has chosen to dedicate this ride to her Grandfather�s incredible spirit and memory. More information on the team can be found at texas4000.org. Memorials may be mailed to Austin Van Tine, c/o Texas 4000 For Cancer, 901 S. Mopac Expressway, Barton Oaks Plaza One, Ste. 300, Austin, Tx 78746.