Richard L. Lister

Richard Lee (Dick) Lister, 66, of Galveston, died Thursday, September 18, 2008, from complications associated with multiple myeloma. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 27, at Highland Cemetery in Ottawa, Kansas. Friends may pay their respects to Mr. Lister after 9:00 a.m. Saturday at Dengel & Son Mortuary in Ottawa, where family will meet with friends from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., prior to processing to the cemetery. Born in Ottawa, Kansas, Dick and his father formed Lister Plumbing in 1962 and operated it together until his father retired in 1976. In 1983, Dick relocated to Galveston, Texas, where he operated Lister Plumbing with his two sons, until his own retirement in 2003. Dick was a true gentleman and ethical businessman who took great satisfaction whenever he could use his knowledge or resources to mentor his employees and solve difficult problems for his customers. And despite the long hours and stresses of operating a small business, his wife and family always came first. He is preceded in death by his father, Willard Newell Lister and his mother, Mabel Ellen Finch Lister, of Ottawa, Kansas. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, LaVita Lister; son, Richard Lee Lister, Jr. and his wife, Lynnette, and their daughters, Jennifer and Katelynn; son, Robert Edmund Lister and daughter, Amy Christine Madril and her husband, Adrian. He is also survived by sister, Dee Ellen Kruzel, brother, Willard Newell (Bill) Lister, Jr., and sister, Jane Marie Taul, all of Ottawa, Kansas. Dick`s family wishes to express their sincere thanks to the staff of UTMB and M.D. Anderson Hospital for their professional and caring treatment. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 383 Main Avenue, 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through dengelmortuary@sbcglobal.net.