Roy Rissky

Roy D. Rissky, P.E.

Roy David Rissky, 69, of Tecumseh, Kansas, passed away on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025, in Mesa, Arizona, with his wife and children at his side.

Roy was born on June 12, 1956, in Tyndall, South Dakota, to Roy W. and Ollie Rissky and raised in Mitchell, SD with his four siblings. There he enjoyed being outdoors and accompanying his schooling with football, legion and amateur baseball, wrestling, track, and golf. He graduated from Mitchell High School in 1974.

He graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in Rapid City, SD with a BS in Civil Engineering in 1978. During his years at university, he was part of the Omega Chapter of Theta Tau engineering fraternity and was a member of the school’s varsity golf team, competing in the 1975 and 1976 NCAA NAIA National Championships.

He worked as a Professional Engineer at the Kansas Department of Transportation for 33 years, his last role as the Chief of Construction and Maintenance. During his time with KDOT, he served on multiple committees for AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and was elected to be on the board of the NCPP (National Center for Pavement Preservation) for six years. After his retirement, he continued sharing his expansive knowledge of roads and pavement preservation by way of his own consulting business and contracting with Dustrol, INC on their work with hot-in-place recycling.

Roy married the love of his life, Lorraine, in 1984. They raised 3 daughters in Tecumseh, KS together and just celebrated a wonderful 41 years of marriage this past March. He was a loving husband and devoted father who valued his family above everything, taking great pride in the unofficial title of “Girl Dad”, attending countless dance recitals, tennis meets, soccer matches, and school events for his daughters. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Roy was an avid deer, duck, and pheasant hunter who looked forward to travelling annually to his home state of South Dakota to hunt with his brothers. After moving to Kansas, he participated in recreational softball and bowling leagues for many years. He enjoyed golfing, attending rock concerts, and loved supporting his favorite sports teams, the University of Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Chiefs, and Kansas City Current.

He will be remembered as a fighter who survived three kidney transplants and multiple cancers, along with countless surgeries and tests along the way. He was immensely proud he received his third kidney transplant from his rock and best friend, Lorraine.

Roy leaves to celebrate his memory: his beloved wife, Lorraine; three daughters and sons-in-law, Michelle (Wes) Rissky-Hughes of Overland Park, KS, Kellie (Matt) Neely of Smithville, MO, and Nicole (Tim) Couture of Draper, UT; his expectant Granddaughter Couture due in January 2026; sisters, Patty Ploof and Barb (Terry) Newman; brothers, Mike (Nancy) Rissky and Jim Rissky; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Larry Borders Sr., Steve (Karen) Borders, John (Traci) Borders; and numerous nieces and nephews and many, many friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, Roy W. and Ollie Rissky, his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Richard and Margaret Borders, his brother-in-law, Dave Ploof, and his sister-in-law, Brenda Borders.

A Celebration of Life for Roy will take place Saturday, August 9th, 9:30am-12pm, at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home, located at 1321 SW 10th Avenue, Topeka, KS, 66604. Visitation with the family will be from 9:30-11am with a service to follow at 11am.

The family will be collecting stories, letters, thoughts and prayers, pictures, etc. prior to the Celebration of Life, some of which may be shared during the service. If you would like to share with the family, please send them to Nicole at nicolerissky@gmail.com.

If you would like to make a donation in Roy’s name, the family has asked that you please utilize the following website in order to contribute to the memorial fund for him by selecting “This gift is a tribute (to)” and listing “Roy Rissky” at his alma mater, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology: https://cara.sdsmt.edu/memorial-gifts. The donated funds will be put towards Civil Engineering Scholarships for students in his name. If you would prefer to use a check, checks can be sent to South Dakota Mines CARA. Please note in memo that the gift is in memory of Roy Rissky. Their address is 330 E Kansas City St, Rapid City, SD 57701.