Richard A. Gatz

Richard A. “Dick” Gatz, 71, beloved husband and father, went home to rest safely in the arms of Jesus, Friday, March 2, 2018. He is survived by his wife, Vicki Mastin Gatz and children, Maria Elizabeth Gatz and Colin Joseph Gatz and older brother Ret. Col. Frederic L. (Jodi) Gatz and twin brother, Robert (Joyce) Gatz. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles F. and Hazel Pence (Hamilton) Gatz and two siblings, Charles H. Gatz and Elizabeth (Gatz) Kaufmann. The list is endless of nieces, nephews, extended family, and church family who loved Dick deeply and will miss him greatly. Special thanks to Peggy Hardesty, APRN, Christopher Feddock, M.D., Ketan Buch, M.D. and Kristin Dawson, M.D. for their kindness and exceptional care that gave Dick the best possible quality of life. Dick loved Jesus and shared his faith unashamedly. At church, he served as a greeter extraordinaire and excelled at making everyone feel welcome with his big smile and bear hugs. At work at UK Healthcare and the Center for Advanced Surgery, he was affectionately known as the “mayor of the med center.” He never met a stranger and was loved by all who knew him. At home, he was Vicki, Maria and Colin’s number one fan. He loved bragging on their accomplishments and was in the stands at sporting events as much as he could, making lifelong friends with other parents. In fact, he made friends wherever he went – restaurants, medical offices, church. When he couldn’t get out as much, he fed his passion for people by reconnecting with old high school friends on Facebook. There are many tributes found there with the recurring theme of how loved Dick was, with lots of people saying the world was a better place for having Dick in it and their lives were better for having known him. In the days before his death, our beloved hospice nurse, LeAnn McCuddy, shared a quote from Billy Graham that strongly resonated with Dick. “Someday you will read or hear [I am] dead. Don’t believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.” There will be a Celebration of his life from 5-8PM, Thursday, March 8, 2018 at Clark Legacy Center in Brannon Crossing. Funeral service will be at 2:30PM, Friday, March 9, 2018 at Bethel Harvest Church on Nicholasville Road, Nicholasville, KY. For those that have an interest in memorializing Dick in some way, contributions can be made to the Bethel School of Ministry, c/o Bethel Harvest Church, 3260 Lexington Road, Nicholasville, KY 40536.