Richard "Dick" L. Foulke

Richard “Dick” Leroy Foulke, son of Leroy Howard Foulke and Hazel Owen Foulke, was born in rural Jewell County Kansas on May 30, 1940.

His earliest years of schooling were at a one-room schoolhouse across the pasture from his rural home. Dick would occasionally ride a horse, named Lady, to school. Lady would often (but not always) wait for him at the fence for the ride home. He then attended public schools in Jewell, including Jewell High School where he was a star athlete, playing baseball, basketball and football with great skill and energy. Dick graduated from Jewell Rural High School in 1958.

He grew up in a family that prized hard work. Life on their farm north of Jewell was intense, from sunrise to sunset. He and his brother Jerry ran multiple businesses as kids to earn spending money, including selling eggs and milk to townsfolk in Jewell.

He met Judith Ann Hoffer while in grade school in the mid-1950s. They courted during their years in high school before marrying on June 12, 1960, at the First Christian Church in Jewell. Their first home was in Manhattan, Kansas where he attended Kansas State University before transferring to Emporia State Teachers College. He graduated from there in 1964 with bachelor's degrees in education and business. His first son, Steven Vail, was born in 1963 in Emporia.

Following college, Dick went into teaching. His first job in the classroom was at Geneseo (KS) High School. Gary Brian, his second son, was born in Sterling (KS) in 1965. After two and half years there, Dick moved to Beloit (KS) High School. At both stops, he taught a variety of social science and business classes, and served as an assistant coach in football, basketball and track.

With a growing family, Dick made the decision to leave teaching in 1968 to join Farmers Alliance Insurance in McPherson (KS). His daughter, Coni Kay, was born in McPherson in 1971. The Foulke family would call “The Light Capital” home for over 50 years.

Dick worked in several roles at Farmers Alliance, from claims adjusting (with plenty of climbs onto roofs to inspect for hail damage), to personnel director, to employee education. He oversaw Farmers Alliance’s sprawling internal education infrastructure, personally leading the IIA and CPCU courses, as well as securing instructors for a variety of other classes. Over the years, Dick received many accolades for his leadership and instructional techniques. In a sense, he returned to the classroom during his years at Farmers Alliance.

One of Dick’s great passions was golf. He learned the game while a high school teacher, honing his skills at the Beloit (KS) Country Club. Upon moving to McPherson, he played regularly at Alliance Acres (with its distinctive sand greens and snake-infested fairways), Rolling Acres (with its unmanicured, un-irrigated fairways) and Turkey Creek in McPherson. Dick had dozens of regular golf partners over the decades, with the bigger than life J.B. Wiggins being among the most notable. Dick took special pride in being part of the senior golf community at Turkey Creek and served as treasurer of the senior golf association for several years. He scored a stunning nine holes-in-one (all witnessed) over the years, but he (characteristically) downplayed these feats.

Dick was very engaged in the lives of his children. He coached the kids’ sports teams; served as a pack leader with Cub Scouts; and attended hundreds of games and matches over the years. Born from his time as a youngster learning card games at I.K. Frank’s poolhall in Jewell, in his later years Dick especially loved playing Pitch with his kids and grandkids.

He was a proud member of the McPherson Optimists, happily getting sunburned each spring as the group spearheaded the local Junior Olympics at the McPherson College Stadium. He spent each December selling Christmas trees for the Optimists annual fundraiser. Dick and Judy were members of the Elks Lodge and enjoyed cutting a rug.

The lessons of hard work on the farm were often put to good use. If there was something needing fixing at their many homes, Dick would not hesitate to jump in and figure it out. When his kids moved out on their own, Dick used these skills to help them with many house projects and countless broken-down cars. He was always their first phone call when they needed help. Dick always looked forward to traveling to visit his kids, even when there weren’t fix-up projects on the docket.

Dick retired from Farmers Alliance in 1999. He and Judy then turned their attention to traveling across the southern tier of the United States and into Mexico, pulling their camper every mile of the way. They spent many winters in southern Texas and Florida and crossed the U.S. many times, going from one national park to another. Dick was rarely happier than when sitting down with a road atlas, planning out the next trip. He and Judy had many adventures on the road.

Richard “Dick” Leroy Foulke passed away at Bethany Home in Lindsborg, Kansas on September 28, 2026, with Judy by his side. He was predeceased by his parents, Leroy and Hazel, and his siblings Nancy (Foulke) Bohnenblust and Wayne Foulke.

He is survived by his wife, Judith (Judy) Ann Foulke of McPherson, siblings Jerry Foulke of Stockton, KS and Roger Foulke of Longmont, TX, his children Steven (Carine Ullom) of Ottawa, KS, Gary (Shelley Koch) of Meadowview, VA, and Coni of Lawrence, KS, five grandchildren (Jessica, Schuyler, Meredith, Stefan, and Haydyn), and one great granddaughter (Nova).

The family wishes to thank the empathetic staff at Bethany Home in Lindsborg, Generations in Newton, and Gentiva Hospice for their kindness and professionalism during Dick’s final days.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the First Christian Church (McPherson) with Pastor Lynn Scott officiating. The final resting place will be at Wallace Cemetery (rural Jewell, KS).

Memorials can be made to the McPherson Optimist Club or the First Christian Church in care of Stockham Family Funeral Home, 205 North Chestnut, McPherson, KS 67460.