Fred Wyrsch RIP, The Man Who Made the KC St Patrick’s Day Parade a Big Deal

The man who turned the Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade into one of the city’s biggest events, has died.
The family of Fred Wyrsch announced he died Monday night after battling cancer. Wyrsch was 63.
After radio personality Mike Muprhy started the Parade in 1973, Wyrsch decided to get the Irish group, the Kansas City chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians involved.
Wyrsch’s goal was to assure the parade kept its sense of Irish culture. But Fred was always aware it also needed our Irish sense of humor.
One of his favorite sayings was they decided to have a little St. Patrick’s Day Parade, “so you could invite 250,000 of your closest friends”.
From the mid 1970’s through the mid 1980’s, Wyrsch, and a very small group, organized the parade.
They encouraged families, schools and businesses to participate. It took off.
I wasn’t around when all this happened. I joined the Parade Committee in the late 1980’s. I knew, however, that Fred Wyrsch ran this growing parade out of his hip pocket. He always said it was just him and a few pals at card table—with a couple of beers thrown in for good measure.
They ran it like that for years.
Later, when I had the honor of following in his footsteps as a Parade Chairman, I was astonished any one person could pull that off.
I still am.
Fred was really the Godfather or the Parade. Murphy, God rest his Soul, got a lot of the credit, but it was Wyrsch and his pals who really made the parade a big deal in Kansas City.
Whenever Fred would come around near St. Patrick’s Day, some of us greeted him like he was Babe Ruth. We’d tell the newbies, “There’s the Man”.
The Parade made him the Grand Marshal in 1986. Best choice—ever.
His family was honored for their contributions to the parade, too. His brother Tom remains a valuable member of the Parade Committee. He’s a good friend, as well.
Fred was very modest about his parade accomplishment. It was not unusual to see him just show up on St. Patrick’s Day to help, just like any other grunt.
One of the last times I saw him, he and I were taking tickets at one of the gates at the Irish Fest last year.
Had a blast.
Same old Freddie, just pitching in.
Fred Wyrsch was THE DRIVING FORCE of the Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade for many years.
Thanks Freddie for your friendship.
And my town thanks you for your gift.