Ted Dwain Gleason

Ted Dwain Gleason, 79, of Parkville, Missouri, was surrounded in love as he passed away on March 10, 2023. He was born July 10, 1943 in Greenfield, Missouri, to the late Theodore Gleason and Jeanette (Grove) Gleason and was the loving big brother to his younger sister, Cheryl.

An avid creator, maker, and builder, Ted loved learning and making- especially building things with his hands. Whether it was a huge solar panel on the side of his house made from soda cans and 2x4's, a dollhouse for his daughter, or "PawPaw's famous muffins" for his grandkids. everything he created was crafted in love and with care.

A skilled electrician, Ted worked for Rockwell Collins Radio in Cedar Rapid, lowa, in aviation electronics. After returning with his family to Kansas City, he worked for over 20 years in the KU Medical Center physiology department as the head electrician. He took great pride in his work, taking the professors' ideas and making them into a reality for experiments and lab work. One of his proudest moments was having one of his machines sent into space for an experiment on the International Space Station

Active in church from an early age, Ted met his wife of 48 years, Linda Evans, at Union Chapel Baptist Church. They began dating when she was a senior at Park Hill High School and married 3 days after Linda graduated from Southwest Missouri State University in August of 1967. Their mutual love of fishing, gardening, cooking, and creating filled their home throughout the years with a multitude of projects in various degrees of completion.

During the Vietnam War, like many young Americans, Ted enlisted in the US armed forces. He

served in the Army with the 541st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion at Fort Riley, Kansas,

He worked for the Army Signal Core for three years as a radio operator, one of those years in

Vietnam. He retired from active duty and spent three more years in the Army Reserve.

Ted was a loving and attentive father to his three children, Dwain, Dorian, and Dustin. He taught them through gentle redirection, rarely raising his voice or disciplining in anger. Instead, he approached his children with humor and patience, traits he continued to emulate with his five grandchildren who quickly became the highlight of his retirement years. He loved being their PawPaw, watching school plays and musical performances, and assisting in the yearly Boy Scout pinewood derby.

A devout follower of Christ, Ted was always active in church ministry and Bible studies. He served throughout the years as a member of Union Chapel Baptist Church in Parkville, MO as a young adult. Then Walker Bible Church near his home in Center Point, lowa when his children were young, and later as a deacon and member of New Covenant Baptist Church, later named Fellowship of Grace in Kansas City, MO. Praying for others and taking care of their needs was always important to Ted. He kept an active list of those he was praying for, and was one of the first to volunteer whenever anyone was in need. He will be remembered for his gentleness and his generosity of spirit

In addition to his parents, Ted is preceded in death by his wife Linda who passed away in 2015.

He is also preceded in death by his eldest son, Dwain Michael Gleason.

Ted is survived by his sister Cheryl Gleason Ozias (Steve), half-brother Jim Phillips,

brother-in-law Jerry White, daughter Dorian Lin Tsukioka (Koichi), and son Dustin Scott Gleason

(Natasha). He is also survived by his five beloved grandchildren: TJ, Lily, Abby, Elsy and Jack.

The Gleason family would like to thank the staff of Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care for

their gentle caretaking of Ted during his final weeks. Thank you also to the generous and loving

members of Fellowship of Grace for many years of caring for Ted so well.

Funeral services will be held at Fellowship of Grace Church, 8501 NW Tom Watson Parkway, Parkville, Mo. A visitation will be held Friday, March 17th, 5-7pm. Burial services will commence at 10am, Saturday, March 18th at Fellowship of Grace with graveside service immediately following at Terrace Park Cemetery, 801 NW 108th St, Kansas City, MO 64155. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Ted's name to Missouri Baptist Children's Home at www.mbch.org

PawPaw's Favorite Muffin Recipe:

POST FRUIT & FIBER CEREAL BRAN MUFFINS

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups Fruit & Fiber cereal with dates, raisins & nuts
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup oil

Mix dry ingredients. Combine cereal and milk in bowl and let stand 3 minutes. Stir well. Add egg and oil; blend well. Add flour mixture and mix just enough to moisten flour (batter will be thick).

Fill greased muffin pans 3/4 full.

Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 12.

PawPaw's Grandkids Favorite Cookie Recipe:

COWBOY COOKIES
1 3/4 cups (248g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (340g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided 2 cups (184g) rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 1/2 cups (140g) moist shredded sweetened coconut 1 1/4 cups pecans, toasted* and chopped

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. Cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well blended.

Mix in eggs and vanilla. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Add flour mixture then mix until combined.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips, the oats, coconut and pecans and mix. Cover and chill dough at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Scoop dough out ½ cup at a time and roll into balls. Press remaining chocolate chips into dough balls (about 5 or 6 in each) onto parchment paper lined 18 by 13-inch baking sheet spacing 2-inches apart. Keep remaining dough in fridge until ready to use. Flatten dough balls slightly then bake in a preheated oven until cookies appear set on edges and lightly golden brown on bottom but centers appear slightly raw, about 13 to 16 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Notes: *To toast pecans spread onto a baking sheet and toast in a preheated 350 degree oven 6 to 10 minutes.