Obituary of Richard Neil Huston

Rich Huston (July 30, 1955- October 26, 2023) husband, father, papa, pastor, and friend is now in the glorious presence of Jesus. While our hearts are sad and we miss him greatly, we rejoice with him that he is home in heaven. His greatest desire was always to be in the full and glorious presence of Jesus Christ. 

Born to Jack and Carol Huston in Wichita, Kansas, Rich was the second of three children. Rich grew up with an older sister, Linda, and a younger brother, Paul. When he was 13 years old his family moved to Woodland Park, Colorado. It was a dream come true as it had always been their special vacation spot. Living up in the mountains of Woodland Park, he enjoyed the thrill of mountain climbing (including many 14’ers), cross-country, photography, and ham radio. 

During this time, Rich found Jesus Christ as His Savior and Lord. When he was 16 years old he was delivered from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God's glorious light and it changed his life forever. It was in a time of prayer he received the call to be a minister and to preach God's Word. He became a blessed disciple of Christ sharing the good news with his High School friends. 

Not long after,  Rich met Jan Konkle, who would end up being the love of his life. They were introduced over Jan’s backyard fence as her teen neighbor claimed Rich was a “crazy Christian” just like her. He crashed her double date and her 16th birthday party and the rest is history. Rich and Jan were married on May 15, 1976, in Longmont, Colorado by their mentor, Pastor James Miller, who knew they were on their way to Rhema Bible College and a lifetime of ministry. What a joy to start their marriage and Bible college together at the same time! 

After graduating from Rhema, they were youth pastors and assistants in several churches, Rich and Jan became the founding pastors of Agape Life Church in Arvada, Colorado in 1982. In the beginning, the church met in Pomona High School before purchasing their own building. Rich, along with his wife, Jan, have pastored faithfully together for 41 years. Many lives have changed because of their dedication and commitment to the Lord. Rich strongly preached God's truth with authority. He was a great teacher of God’s Word and often incorporated stories and humor as he preached along with the precious flow of the Holy Spirit. 

Within the same year of beginning Agape Life Church, Rich and Jan found they were expecting their first daughter, Melanie, and three years later, daughter Jamie. Rich faithfully stood on the Word of God for both his children all through their childhood. Rich was an exceptional father. He always surrounded his girls with unconditional love, steadfast faith,  told tremendous bedtime stories, supported their sports events, planned wonderful family vacations, and shared his wonderful sense of humor to bring laughter to their days. He truly made life “a bit of heaven” on earth. 

Rich’s most recent treasures are those of his grandkids: Lydia, Daniel, Joy, Eliana, and Ethan. His eyes would light up whenever they were around and he was known for asking them “Do you feel the love” when he was giving them a big hug. He was a caring and loving papa, a humorous yet heartfelt papa, and truly their “best buddy”. He instilled in them a love for the Lord that will be with them all the days of their lives. 

Rich’s current interests were: morning prayer and devotions over coffee with his wife, vacationing in Estes Park with his family, hiking, golfing with church friends, shooting, taking photos of Colorado’s beautiful landscape, grilling, and fellowshipping with RMAI friends. He always appreciated a well-manicured lawn and was often referred to as the neighborhood “Lawn Meister”. He enjoyed the occasional motorcycle ride with friends, followed his favorite sports teams, and loved good flavorful food. 

Rich’s love and faithfulness to God, his family, and his church family defined who he truly was, and he will be greatly missed. We are so thankful that he is rejoicing with his Savior, Jesus Christ, and hearing “well done, good and faithful servant”. We know we will be reunited with him one day, never again to say goodbye. What a day that will be! 

We invite you to the Celebration of Life Service for Rich Huston:

Thursday, November 9th 11:00 a.m.

Agape Life Church 

5970 W 60th Ave 

Arvada, CO 80003

*If unable to attend in person a live feed of the service will be available on our website: www.agapelife.org

In honor of Rich, donations can be given at https://agapelife.org/give/ with the designation of “other”.

Please feel free to share your memories of Rich Huston with the family at [email protected]