Richard Zastrow

Richard Emery Zastrow of Garnett, Kansas departed this life on February 27, 2010, at the KC Hospice House , in Kansas City, Missouri. Richard was the youngest son of Emery (E.L.) and Irene (Randall) Zastrow of Garnett. Richard graduated from Garnett High School in 1960 and worked for Dietz Radio and TV Service in Garnett and Radio Station KOFO in Ottawa throughout all of his high school years. Richard received an Honorable discharge from the United States Air Force in January 1967. He was an F-105 Radar Technician and upon discharge worked for Audio Arts, KRSD-AM and KRSD-TV in Rapid City, SD, then moved to Illinois where he first served as Chief Engineer for WDZ-AM in Decatur and sister station WIZZ AM/FM in Streator. He next relocated to Springfield, IL where he first served as full time Account Executive and copy writer at W R Hahn Advertising in Springfield, Illinois. He worked part time as weekend announcer on WTAX-AM and as a bench technician at Dr. Danny's TV Service. Richard then was employed as General Manager of WVEM (FM) in Springfield, Illinois, owned by the company which also owned Dr. Danny's TV Service. In 1973, he moved to Stuart, Florida as Chief Engineer for Radio Stations WSTU-AM and WMCF-FM working with Broadcast Engineering consultants, Burleson & Associates of Washington, D.C. In 1980, he moved to Clewiston, FL where he hoped to build a new FM radio station. With his parents, he bought a small trailer park on the West Side of town and Richard finished off a plywood shed on the property, where he opened CB Radio sales and repair service, known as "The Broadcaster." Richard's parents spent their winters there; his mother worked on quilt blocks, his father kept the lawns mowed in the winter and the all visited with the many customers, both local and out-of-town at Richard's shop. As CB Radio began to decline, Richard went to work for Radio Station WLCF and WSWF-FM in Lehigh Acres, FL as Chief Engineer in 1982. There he met Judith L. (Bergman) Bright and they were married in Punta Gorda, FL on December 13, 1982. Together they owned and operated Radio Station WBAS in Crescent City, FL from 1984, adding a cable FM station heard on Crescent City's local cable station. Due to strong FM competition from Daytona, sales revenue drastically declined. Unable to recover from the economic downturn, they signed WBAS off the air for the final time in 1987 and the frequency 1330 kHz was deleted from Crescent City. Richard was hired as Chief Engineer KRBE (AM), Houston, TX, and then he and Judie relocated to Denver, CO when Shamrock Broadcasting in Burbank agreed to buy Denver radio stations KBRQ-AM and FM for $9 million. The stations, which featured country music, were bought from Great Empire Broadcasting of Wichita, KS. Shamrock Broadcasting was a subsidiary of Shamrock Holdings, a Burbank investment firm owned by the Roy E. Disney family. His wife, Judie Bright, found employment with Raytheon, a U.S. Air Force contractor at Lowry Field. After building new studios in downtown Denver, Richard was hired as Chief Engineer by FM Radio Station KBPI. Here he not only built new studios but also completed a full remodel of the KBPI transmitter site on Lookout Mountain. Richard and Judie were divorced in 1991. Richard's father passed away in 1990 and Richard returned to Colorado in 1994 to build new studios for Boulder, CO Radio Station KBCO. As he was putting the finishing touches on the new studios, Richard became noted as "The Father of Internet in Garnett," establishing and operating KAnZA Internet from 1996 to 1999. KAnZA net grew from Garnett to Mound City, to Wellsville, Osage City, Pomona and Ottawa. Richard was extremely supportive of the Prairie Spirit Rail Trail project. At the end of 1999, Richard sold KAnZA net to Grapevine Internet Services of Overland Park, KS. On December 22, 1999 Richard went to Bulgaria, Eastern Europe to "discover." He was a published author of many articles on Bulgaria and translated several literary works on Bulgarian authors into English. He made a website for the country's tourist agenda, "A Virtual Travel Guide to Bulgaria" and "Plodiv City Guide". HE was recognized by the government for his photography and websites as a "Friend of Bulgaria". While operating KAnZA, he had provided temporary employment for several young Bulgarian professionals and heard of such interesting traditions and customs there, that he felt a calling to observe the country first hand. He wrote, "I know I won't forget that warm June 8 Sabbath evening of 2002, standing with the eldest priest of Bachkovski Monastery in the pool at the base of the waterfall at 'The Church of the Archangels' nestled in the Rhodope hills, near the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria." Now newly baptized, I was Chrismated with Holy Myrrh on the same parts of the body where earlier I was anointed with oil. "I had studied (catecheumened) the Bulgarian Orthodox faith there under the tutelage of the old priest and several brothers who also spoke English." "It was during a conversation with a memorable lady friend, the owner of a popular pizza restaurant in Plovdiv as she joined Krassimir and I at a table, sipping at her Stella Artois, that she described this particular cloister as it was the foundation of the Orphic Bulgarian Orthodox church. This cloister finds and adores God in all nature; in the stars and clouds and fowl of the sky - in the stones, water, and all the life of the soil. It was at her behest that I went to this 12th century Monastery to study and learn." He developed severe pneumonia in mid-2002 and spent a full month at University Hospital, Plovdiv in intensive care on a ventilator. Richard continued to live in Bulgaria until May 1, 2003, but became unsteady on his feet following surgery in Bulgaria to clean several deep bedsores. He attended his Garnett High School Class of 1960 45th Reunion in Garnett where he got reacquainted with several former classmates including Sherrie Lee (Velvick) Brown who also had returned to live in Garnett. In August 2006, he found a calling to temporarily relocate to Grandfield, OK to assist Judie Bright who had retired from Raytheon and owned the town's weekly newspaper, Big Pasture News. While in Grandfield he acquired a battery-powered chair to regain his mobility. Richard returned to Garnett in September 2008, living at 200 Parkside Place, operated by Garnett Housing Authority. He could be seen daily riding his power chair along the Trail, into downtown, to both the North and South Lakes, taking pictures and visiting his many friends and acquaintances. From his apartment, he published and distributed the free Garnett Parkside Place Newsletter on a monthly basis beginning February 2009. Friends are currently preparing his Homecoming Celebration since transferring his membership to the Church Triumphant! He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Laurel Eugenia (Jeannie) (Gull) Falls of Garnett in 1999 and his brother, Garland Jerome (Jerry) Zastrow of rural Greeley in 2009, and Marcus, his longtime canine companion.. Richard is survived by his nephew, Jamie Gull and wife (Karen) of Girard, Kansas, niece, Kim Stahl of Garnett, Kansas; Sister-in-law, Liz Zastrow of Garnett, Kansas; his friend, Sherrie Brown of Garnett, Kansas.