‘He was bigger than life.’ Coach and youth mentor Calvin Wainright dies at 68

If the size of a person could be measured by the lives they have touched, then Calvin Wainright would be even taller than he was in real life. Wainright, who stood over six feet tall, was no stranger to being the tallest man in the room. A former basketball player and sports enthusiast, he built a legacy through decades of coaching basketball teams and influencing the lives of many metro youths.

For his wife Cassandra Wainright, the work her husband did had longstanding implications on and off the basketball court. Throughout their last 20 years of marriage, she recalls the passion and dedication her spouse put into his mentoring.

“He was like a gentle giant. He was bigger than life and had such a presence and impact on so many. People knew and appreciated his work. He was indispensable and irreplaceable,” she says.

Wainright, a Kansas City native, died Oct. 31 at the age of 68. Though his family is still grieving the loss of a loving husband and father, theyre’ comforted by the outpouring of stories of former players once coached by Wainright.

“He affected people in a hugely significant way. People have been sharing all those ways since his passing. The youth he worked with that are now adults saying how the mark he made in their lives had been indelible,” says his wife.

Growing up, Wainright became part of various youth programs in the metro, such as the YMCA, Boy Scouts, and the Boys and Girls Club. Through these organizations, he developed skills that would benefit him in later years. Wainright felt he owed it to the community to do as much as he could to give back and mentor the next generation.

Through his years of coaching at the YMCA and Don Bosco, Wainright would become an important figure in many lives. Wainright eventually founded the Heaven Sent Hawks, a youth basketball team working with youths ranging from small children to teens. He made sure to impart the importance of being a good athlete and a good person.

“He served his community and gave his whole self in whatever initiatives and projects he was engaged in,” says his wife. “His greatest challenge was spreading his time among all the people who wanted access to him. He wanted to do so much and as much as he could.”

Along with being a mentor to many local youths, Wainright was a beloved father to his five children and his two stepchildren. He would also coach and train his sons on the basketball court, teaching them the skill they would need to succeed. With that kind of resource at home, there is no surprise that his son Ish Wainright would go on to play professionally as the forward on the NBA team, the Phoenix Suns.

Though Wainright dedicated many hours to community outreach, he made sure to always be present and dependable for his own family. However, his wife remembers the struggle which time management presented.

“He was so selfless. He sacrificed time with his family in order to be accessible to the people who needed him through the work he was called to do. He never sought recognition or rewards for what he did. He wanted to improve our community by filling the voids that young people had in their lives,” says Wainright.

But Wainright’s work in the community did not go unnoticed. He received many awards and honors for his work, such as the Missouri Parks and Recreation Association “Outstanding Volunteer Coach of the Year” Award, the Kansas City People’s Choice Awards “Humanitarian Award”, and was named as a Fox 4’s “Pay It Forward” recipient, to name a few.

As a person who gave so much to molding future minds, Wainright’s influence as a role model is felt in the generation he served. Local barber and philanthropic leader Joseph Thomas was one person impacted by his life. As someone who viewed Wainright as a mentor and role model, Thomas has followed his lead in giving back to his community through his “ KnowJoey? Foundation,” a nonprofit serving the metro.

“This man has like over 50 years of service when it comes to his work as a pastor, a coach, mentoring, and just being there for the community,” says Thomas. “He was a huge impact on KC. We truly lost a community icon.”

Funeral services were held for Wainright on Nov. 12, according to Thomas, with over a thousand guests in attendance to pay their respects. At the service, Wainright was awarded proclamations for his work from Mayor Quinton Lucas, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Frank White, and Brandon Ellington.

He is survived by his wife Cassandra Wainright; children, Lashun Patrice Bozeman, Calvin Carzell Wainright, Caleese Carzell Wainright, Ishmail Carzell Wainright, Amaad Carzell Wainright, Hassan Williams; Minister Tina Shenice Johnson, Kiana D’Nai Moore and Stephan Donte’ Jackson; siblings, Yasmine King Brown, Vanessa Wainright, Terrance Wainright, Armelia Wainright-Mason, Vincent Wainright, Maurice King III and Kimberly Crawford; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, grandchildren and extended family and friends.

Other remembrances

Gladys Lee-Ricardson

Gladys Lee-Ricardson, a nurse and mother, died Nov. 9. She was 81.

Richardson was born Sept. 9, 1941 to Kamori Lee and Mable McDowell in New Orleans, Louisiana. She attended St. Monica Catholic School through middle school. She moved to Kansas City for the first time in 1955 to stay with her family. She graduated from Lilis High School in 1958 at the age of 16.

After graduation, she would return to her birthplace of New Orleans. There, she would attend Dillard University. After her first year in college she would be accepted at the General Hospital School of Nursing, which would see her return to Kansas City. After her graduation in 1961, she would start her lifelong career as a nurse serving local residents in the healthcare field. In her career, she worked at St. Joseph Hospital, Veterans Hospital, KC Osteopathic Hospital as the Director of Nurses and finally retired with the Missouri Patient Care Review Foundation.

In 1961 she married Dr. Lee Richardson Jr., with whom she would go on to have two sons.

A big part of Richardson’s life was her faith and her ties to the Catholic church. She was highly active in church activities and volunteered as an usher, treasurer, and co-chairperson of the annual chili supper.

Robert Smith

Robert Smith died Nov. 5. He was 85.

Smith was born on June 19, 1937, to Robert Smith Sr. and Lucy Smith in Kansas City, Missouri. Smith was born into a large family with eight siblings and graduated from Sumner High School in 1955.

Not long after leaving high school Smith met Lora Whitaker, who he would marry in 1960 and spend the next 62 years of life with. They had two sons.

Smith would support his family working at the Social Security Administration. He would retire from that position in 1994 after 35 years of work with the organization. After his retirement, he would work part-time at Sunflower Golf Course. It was at this job that he would find a passion for the sport of golf and would become an avid enthusiast of the sport late in life. Smith would play golf until he could no longer do so due to medical issues.

In addition to his love of sports, he also loved spending time with family, listening to music, playing dominoes, and watching Chiefs games with loved ones.

Smith was highly involved with his church and participated in various church-sponsored community outreach programs. He will be remembered by family and friends as a loving and caring person who was well-respected in his community.

He is survived by his wife Lora Louise Smith; children, Robert Preston Smith III, and Frederick Darnel Smith; and siblings, Maxine Clair, Gloria Smith, Joyce Smith, Linda K. Smith, Ronald P. Smith Sr., Elinor McGinnis, Donna Smith, and Steven Smith.