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Blue Springs, MO —
The Blue Springs community has lost a longtime resident and city employee.
Oliver DeGrate III, the public works director for Blue Springs, died Friday as a result of a recent illness. A memorial service is planned for 6 p.m. Friday at the Adams Pointe Conference Center, 1400 N.E. Coronado Dr. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Watchtower-Relief, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201.
DeGrate, a native of Manhattan, Kan., worked for the city of Blue Springs since 1993. He was a licensed professional engineer with almost 40 years of experience in city government and provided leadership in many of the city’s major infrastructure projects since he started with the city, including Adams Dairy Parkway, the Sni-Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Chapman Farms Neighborhood Improvement District. He most recently was involved with the improvements to Woods Chapel Road, which is a continuing project.
The city of Blue Springs posted DeGrate’s passing on its Facebook page, spurring several comments. Meredith Parrish, a former public information director for the city, said she is “deeply saddened to hear of the passing” and while her time with the city was short, she said the “fond memories” she has of De Grate are not.
“When I first arrived, I remember being told of his quiet but seasoned wisdom and that to be viewed as consummate professional in Oliver’s eyes was an accomplishment in itself,” Parrish wrote on the city’s Facebook page. “Oliver’s quiet brilliance will be greatly missed.”
The Blue Springs community has lost a longtime resident and city employee.
Oliver DeGrate III, the public works director for Blue Springs, died Friday as a result of a recent illness. A memorial service is planned for 6 p.m. Friday at the Adams Pointe Conference Center, 1400 N.E. Coronado Dr. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Watchtower-Relief, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201.
DeGrate, a native of Manhattan, Kan., worked for the city of Blue Springs since 1993. He was a licensed professional engineer with almost 40 years of experience in city government and provided leadership in many of the city’s major infrastructure projects since he started with the city, including Adams Dairy Parkway, the Sni-Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Chapman Farms Neighborhood Improvement District. He most recently was involved with the improvements to Woods Chapel Road, which is a continuing project.
The city of Blue Springs posted DeGrate’s passing on its Facebook page, spurring several comments. Meredith Parrish, a former public information director for the city, said she is “deeply saddened to hear of the passing” and while her time with the city was short, she said the “fond memories” she has of De Grate are not.
“When I first arrived, I remember being told of his quiet but seasoned wisdom and that to be viewed as consummate professional in Oliver’s eyes was an accomplishment in itself,” Parrish wrote on the city’s Facebook page. “Oliver’s quiet brilliance will be greatly missed.”
