Richard "Dick" B. Link's Obituary
Link, Richard B., 85, of Broken Arrow,OK, passed away Thursday, January 28, 2016, surrounded by his loving family in his home. Dick was born in Enid, OK, the youngest of five children. He married Joan Niehus in 1948 and they recently celebrated their 67th anniversary. Dick was a graduate of Garber High School; he was president of his class and was an All State Basketball player. He went on to play sports at Central State in Edmund. He became involved in cemetery and funeral service at a young age and worked in Tulsa, Lincoln, NE and Kansas City prior to purchasing Floral Haven in 1972. That same year, he instituted the Avenue of Flags on Memorial Day Weekend, when a widow brought in her husband’s casket flag and requested it be flown. The Avenue of Flags now includes more than 3000 flags and is the largest private display of Veterans’ flags in mid-America. Together with his wife and family, he developed Floral Haven into much of what it is today, personally overseeing the development of the Veterans Field of Honor, funeral home, family center, crematory and the lakes and fountains that have become its trademark. At one time he was also an owner of cemeteries and funeral homes in Lincoln and Columbia, MO, as well as a director of the MAMCA Cemetery Organization. Dick sponsored the Oklahoma Monument at the Veterans Medal of Honor Grove in Valley Forge, PA, a replica of which stands at Floral Haven. He also was a former owner of Lawrence Memorial Park in Lawrence , KS, where he commissioned a statue of sports legend James Naismith. He served as an officer in both the State and National Cemetery Associations, was a member of the Tulsa Scottish Rite, Akdar Shrine Temple and the Royal Order of Jesters. He was a member of Asbury United Methodist Church, The Tulsa Men’s Club, NatureWorks, Tulsa Rotary, Ducks Unlimited, Big Lake Club, the “Goose” Club and a former member of the board of the Indian Nations Boy Scout Council, which honored him with the Silver Beaver Award in 2011. He sponsored members of the Civil Air Patrol to train with the guard troops at Arlington National Cemetery and instituted the Link-Floral Haven Scholarship program with the local chapters of the JROTC, which continues to this day. He retired in 2008, and enjoyed hunting and fishing with his wife, family members and friends. Hunting and fishing were always favorite hobbies and took him to South and Central America, as well as throughout the US and Canada. He and Joan enjoyed salmon fishing in Alaska and multiple trips were shared with their family members.Dick was preceded in death by his parents and brothers and sisters, as well as his eldest daughter, Catherine Link Winett Sparks, who died from complications of early onset Alzheimer’s in 2005. He is survived by his wife Joan and his daughters and sons-in-law, Cheryl and Steve Moeller, of Broken Arrow; Cindy and Mike Rudolph, of Overland Park, KS; and Connie and Kevin Kelsey, of Broken Arrow; as well as 9 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and one great great grandson.Visitation will be held 1:00 PM-5:00 PM on Sunday at the Floral Haven Rose Chapel. Services will be at 3:00 PM on Monday at Floral Haven Funeral Home Chapel, under the direction of Rev. Tom Harrison and Walter Still. Entombment will be in the Link Family Crypt in the Rose Chapel Mausoleum at Floral Haven. The family requests donations to the Tulsa Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, in lieu of flowers.
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