1943
Richard
2017
Richard W. Sexton
September 9, 1943 — February 6, 2017
Richard "Dick" Sexton, Sr. passed away on Monday, February 6, 2017 at the age of 73 surrounded by loved ones after a long battle with Frontal Temporal Dementia. A lifelong resident of Kalamazoo, he was born September 9, 1943, a son of the late Kenneth and Katherine (DeFouw) Sexton.
Upon graduating from Kalamazoo Central High School, Dick began working at Gilmore Brother's Department Store as a stock boy. It was there that he met his wife, the former Karen Monroe, an elevator operator/assistant. Upon termination for sneaking away from work to visit Karen in the hospital, he began a truck driving career at National Foods alongside his father, who taught him how to drive a semi truck. While there, he was a member of the Teamster's Local 7 and served as a Union Steward. Proud and confident of his driving abilities, he would tell his children while teaching them to drive to forget everything they were told in driver's ed because he was a professional and knew more than they did! In 1976 while a passenger in a semi, Dick was involved in a career ending accident. After years of recovery, he enrolled at Kalamazoo Valley Community College where he flourished - so much so that a counselor asked him when he planned on leaving, as he had earned way more credits than necessary to graduate!
After earning an Associate's Degree at KVCC, Dick stumbled upon a temporary job transporting go-karts. Having helped with some of the kart assembly, he was intrigued and when the owner mentioned retiring, he made an offer to purchase the business. Thus began the longtime ownership of Formula K, Formula K Family Fun Park and Sexton Properties. Born with natural mechanical ability, the gift of gab and the ability to "sell sand in the desert" the business grew rapidly. Soon, it was almost too big for Dick and Karen to handle on their own. As luck would have it, the original owner expressed an interest in returning to the business. A deal was reached and together, Dick and his business partner grew the business into one of the largest concession go-kart manufacturers in the U.S., serving customers in the U.S. and abroad. In 2005, Dick and his business partner amicably parted and divided the businesses between them. Some of Formula K's more well known clients included Michael Jackson, Montel Williams, former Boston Red Sox player, Mike Greenwell, Cedar Point and Six Flags.
Through the years of business ownership, Dick had the privilege of extensive travel throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. Karen often traveled with him and through the years they visited many National Parks, which was of special interest to them. There are not many states that they have not visited. Despite his self-proclaimed driving skills, they often found themselves in a precarious situation while traveling, as most times the travel involved a 40' trailer. If there was something they wanted to see, Dick would ponder for a bit and tell Karen, 'I think I can make it'. Sometimes he was right, sometimes not so much!
Anyone who knew Dick knew his biggest hobby was cars, especially of the racing variety. He was a workaholic and racing was his escape. His racing hobby began at Formula K Family Fun Park with his son, Richard Jr. (Rick), who began racing karts at the age of 9. Soon, his youngest daughter, Michelle, followed. After several years, Rick progressed to stock car racing at Kalamazoo Speedway. When Michelle expressed an interest, Dick made her "prove herself" by racing in a powder puff race. Satisfied, he let her drive a stock car as well. When his grandsons Nicholas and Zachary were old enough, they too began racing stock cars, followed by his grandson, Alex, and granddaughter, Taylor, in quarter midgets. The Sexton family was well known in the local racing community as a very competitive racing team, winning championships and special racing events through the years.
Dick spent many years restoring his beloved '66 Chevelle into a show piece. He enjoyed taking it to car shows and was always thrilled if he won a trophy and as his illness progressed was, shall we say, extremely disappointed if he didn't! As a "car guy", no longer being able to drive was extremely hard on him. No longer having a license, he carried a Michigan ID card. This, he insisted, allowed him to drive. One day, Karen called the kids frantic because he had just taken off in the Chevelle. To this day, no one knows where he found a key or how he managed to back out of the garage without hitting Karen's car as there was barely enough room. Must have been those driving skills he bragged about! The last time he drove, was at the Kalamazoo Speedway during an Old Car Night event. He insisted on bringing the Chevelle. When it was time to for the cars to line up for a few laps around the speedway, Dick insisted on driving. Reluctantly, his daughter, Michelle, agreed and rode shotgun with him - white knuckled the entire time. She made sure he was the last car in line and when it was time for the cars to leave the track, he refused to follow the cars off to the pit and kept going. His son-in-law, Scott, who works in the pits, heard over his radio headset, 'Does anyone have any suggestions how to get Dick off the track'? They came up with using the safety truck as a barricade to force him to exit!
During his working years at Formula K, Dick could always be found at his desk with a phone stuck to his ear hustling sales for 8 to 10 hours everyday. As his illness progressed, his ability to speak was affected and he could no longer talk on the phone. For quite some time, it was possible to decipher what he was saying, however, eventually it became impossible. Although his speech was garbled, he never lost his ability to swear clearly - every single swear word known to man, and he took great pleasure in doing so.
People often described Dick as intimidating, however, he was really just a giant teddy bear. He would help anyone who needed it in anyway that he could. If he tried to break your wrist when he shook your hand, it wasn't to be intimidating. It meant he really liked you. To the family, he was just "dad". There were never really thoughts of how well known he was in the go-kart industry or the lasting impact he had on people and, sometimes, it would become apparent in the strangest places. Years ago while attending one of the industry trade shows in New Orleans, walking Bourbon Street was a slow process because every few yards or so someone would stop the group to talk to Dick. The following year, once again in New Orleans for a trade show and strolling Bourbon Street, a member of a band yelled out from a bar, 'Hey, there's the go-kart guy'! Imagine how many people that guy sees in a year and he remembered Dick from the year before! Trade magazines would come in the mail and there Dick would be, on the cover or inside in a feature article. He spoke at seminars frequently and was occasionally called upon as an expert witness for court cases.
Family was everything to Dick. He especially enjoyed time spent with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren at the family's summer place at Lake of the Woods in Decatur. He loved taking the pontoon boat out, dropping anchor and jumping off for a swim with the kids.
He was also a fun-loving guy who enjoyed doing donuts in parking lots in winter, playing his favorite instrument, the air guitar, flexing his muscles and saying, 'Do chin-ups on those and let me know when you're tired'. He would often be heard saying, 'Come here so I can slap you', followed closely by a chuckle.
Dick is survived by his wife of 52 years, Karen, four children, Rebecca (Scott) Layman, Kim Cook, Richard (Michelle) Sexton, Jr. all of Mattawan and Michelle Sexton of Kalamazoo; six grandchildren, Nicholas and Lindsey Layman, Ashley Jones, Zack Cook, Taylor and Alex Sexton; five great-grandchildren, Ariana Mitchell, Zakaydrianna and Nazier Jones, Adalyn and Avery Cook; a sister, Beverly Rowlson; a brother Bruce (Colleen) Sexton; two nieces and one nephew.
Visitation will be held from 2-4pm and 6-8pm on Thursday, February 9th at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 South 9th Street, where services will be held at 11am on Friday, February 10th. Interment will follow in Mount Ever-Rest Memorial Park, South. Memorials may be directed to Grace Hospice.
The family wishes to thank Grace Hospice, White Oaks Nursing Home and the Behavioral Health Unit at Bronson Lakeview Hospital for their amazing care of Dick and support for the family in their time of need.
3926 S. 9th St.
Kalamazoo, MI, US, 49009
3926 S. 9th St.
Kalamazoo, MI, US, 49009
3926 S. 9th St.
Kalamazoo, MI, US, 49009
Upon graduating from Kalamazoo Central High School, Dick began working at Gilmore Brother's Department Store as a stock boy. It was there that he met his wife, the former Karen Monroe, an elevator operator/assistant. Upon termination for sneaking away from work to visit Karen in the hospital, he began a truck driving career at National Foods alongside his father, who taught him how to drive a semi truck. While there, he was a member of the Teamster's Local 7 and served as a Union Steward. Proud and confident of his driving abilities, he would tell his children while teaching them to drive to forget everything they were told in driver's ed because he was a professional and knew more than they did! In 1976 while a passenger in a semi, Dick was involved in a career ending accident. After years of recovery, he enrolled at Kalamazoo Valley Community College where he flourished - so much so that a counselor asked him when he planned on leaving, as he had earned way more credits than necessary to graduate!
After earning an Associate's Degree at KVCC, Dick stumbled upon a temporary job transporting go-karts. Having helped with some of the kart assembly, he was intrigued and when the owner mentioned retiring, he made an offer to purchase the business. Thus began the longtime ownership of Formula K, Formula K Family Fun Park and Sexton Properties. Born with natural mechanical ability, the gift of gab and the ability to "sell sand in the desert" the business grew rapidly. Soon, it was almost too big for Dick and Karen to handle on their own. As luck would have it, the original owner expressed an interest in returning to the business. A deal was reached and together, Dick and his business partner grew the business into one of the largest concession go-kart manufacturers in the U.S., serving customers in the U.S. and abroad. In 2005, Dick and his business partner amicably parted and divided the businesses between them. Some of Formula K's more well known clients included Michael Jackson, Montel Williams, former Boston Red Sox player, Mike Greenwell, Cedar Point and Six Flags.
Through the years of business ownership, Dick had the privilege of extensive travel throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. Karen often traveled with him and through the years they visited many National Parks, which was of special interest to them. There are not many states that they have not visited. Despite his self-proclaimed driving skills, they often found themselves in a precarious situation while traveling, as most times the travel involved a 40' trailer. If there was something they wanted to see, Dick would ponder for a bit and tell Karen, 'I think I can make it'. Sometimes he was right, sometimes not so much!
Anyone who knew Dick knew his biggest hobby was cars, especially of the racing variety. He was a workaholic and racing was his escape. His racing hobby began at Formula K Family Fun Park with his son, Richard Jr. (Rick), who began racing karts at the age of 9. Soon, his youngest daughter, Michelle, followed. After several years, Rick progressed to stock car racing at Kalamazoo Speedway. When Michelle expressed an interest, Dick made her "prove herself" by racing in a powder puff race. Satisfied, he let her drive a stock car as well. When his grandsons Nicholas and Zachary were old enough, they too began racing stock cars, followed by his grandson, Alex, and granddaughter, Taylor, in quarter midgets. The Sexton family was well known in the local racing community as a very competitive racing team, winning championships and special racing events through the years.
Dick spent many years restoring his beloved '66 Chevelle into a show piece. He enjoyed taking it to car shows and was always thrilled if he won a trophy and as his illness progressed was, shall we say, extremely disappointed if he didn't! As a "car guy", no longer being able to drive was extremely hard on him. No longer having a license, he carried a Michigan ID card. This, he insisted, allowed him to drive. One day, Karen called the kids frantic because he had just taken off in the Chevelle. To this day, no one knows where he found a key or how he managed to back out of the garage without hitting Karen's car as there was barely enough room. Must have been those driving skills he bragged about! The last time he drove, was at the Kalamazoo Speedway during an Old Car Night event. He insisted on bringing the Chevelle. When it was time to for the cars to line up for a few laps around the speedway, Dick insisted on driving. Reluctantly, his daughter, Michelle, agreed and rode shotgun with him - white knuckled the entire time. She made sure he was the last car in line and when it was time for the cars to leave the track, he refused to follow the cars off to the pit and kept going. His son-in-law, Scott, who works in the pits, heard over his radio headset, 'Does anyone have any suggestions how to get Dick off the track'? They came up with using the safety truck as a barricade to force him to exit!
During his working years at Formula K, Dick could always be found at his desk with a phone stuck to his ear hustling sales for 8 to 10 hours everyday. As his illness progressed, his ability to speak was affected and he could no longer talk on the phone. For quite some time, it was possible to decipher what he was saying, however, eventually it became impossible. Although his speech was garbled, he never lost his ability to swear clearly - every single swear word known to man, and he took great pleasure in doing so.
People often described Dick as intimidating, however, he was really just a giant teddy bear. He would help anyone who needed it in anyway that he could. If he tried to break your wrist when he shook your hand, it wasn't to be intimidating. It meant he really liked you. To the family, he was just "dad". There were never really thoughts of how well known he was in the go-kart industry or the lasting impact he had on people and, sometimes, it would become apparent in the strangest places. Years ago while attending one of the industry trade shows in New Orleans, walking Bourbon Street was a slow process because every few yards or so someone would stop the group to talk to Dick. The following year, once again in New Orleans for a trade show and strolling Bourbon Street, a member of a band yelled out from a bar, 'Hey, there's the go-kart guy'! Imagine how many people that guy sees in a year and he remembered Dick from the year before! Trade magazines would come in the mail and there Dick would be, on the cover or inside in a feature article. He spoke at seminars frequently and was occasionally called upon as an expert witness for court cases.
Family was everything to Dick. He especially enjoyed time spent with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren at the family's summer place at Lake of the Woods in Decatur. He loved taking the pontoon boat out, dropping anchor and jumping off for a swim with the kids.
He was also a fun-loving guy who enjoyed doing donuts in parking lots in winter, playing his favorite instrument, the air guitar, flexing his muscles and saying, 'Do chin-ups on those and let me know when you're tired'. He would often be heard saying, 'Come here so I can slap you', followed closely by a chuckle.
Dick is survived by his wife of 52 years, Karen, four children, Rebecca (Scott) Layman, Kim Cook, Richard (Michelle) Sexton, Jr. all of Mattawan and Michelle Sexton of Kalamazoo; six grandchildren, Nicholas and Lindsey Layman, Ashley Jones, Zack Cook, Taylor and Alex Sexton; five great-grandchildren, Ariana Mitchell, Zakaydrianna and Nazier Jones, Adalyn and Avery Cook; a sister, Beverly Rowlson; a brother Bruce (Colleen) Sexton; two nieces and one nephew.
Visitation will be held from 2-4pm and 6-8pm on Thursday, February 9th at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 South 9th Street, where services will be held at 11am on Friday, February 10th. Interment will follow in Mount Ever-Rest Memorial Park, South. Memorials may be directed to Grace Hospice.
The family wishes to thank Grace Hospice, White Oaks Nursing Home and the Behavioral Health Unit at Bronson Lakeview Hospital for their amazing care of Dick and support for the family in their time of need.
Visitation
FEB 9. 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Langeland Family Funeral Homes - Westside Chapel3926 S. 9th St.
Kalamazoo, MI, US, 49009
Visitation
FEB 9. 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Langeland Family Funeral Homes - Westside Chapel3926 S. 9th St.
Kalamazoo, MI, US, 49009
Funeral Service
FEB 10. 11:00 AM
Langeland Family Funeral Homes - Westside Chapel3926 S. 9th St.
Kalamazoo, MI, US, 49009
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