Desmond Patrick "Pat" Curran Obituary

Desmond Patrick Curran

June 19, 1944 - October 11, 2024

Mission Hills, Kansas - Desmond Patrick "Pat" Curran of Mission Hills, Kansas passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on October 11, 2024.

The oldest of three boys, Pat was born in Kansas City, Missouri on June 19, 1944 to Dr. Desmond and Elizabeth "Betty" Ann Curran.

After graduating high school from the Pembroke Country Day School, Pat attended Stanford University where he was a member of the Cardinal golf team. He then went on to earn his MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.

In business, Pat was known as a visionary that could take on complicated business issues with perseverance and a knack for execution and measured success.

He began his career in his family's paint and varnish business and eventually purchased Cook Paint and Varnish in one of America's first leveraged buyouts. He grew the business throughout the 1980s and formed a joint venture with Total (a French energy company) in 1990 called Cook Composites and Polymers (CCP). The joint venture became a dominant-market player in resins and gelcoats surpassing $1 billion in annual sales.

In 1999, Pat became chairman of CCP and focused much of his time on a firm he co-founded, C3 Capital. C3 became a premier provider of junior capital to meet the needs of Midwestern leveraged buyouts. In addition, Pat began purchasing majority and minority interests in a wide range of businesses which formed the foundation of Curran Companies. Over the next 15 years, Curran Companies would go on to acquire a variety of businesses spanning industrial and professional services, precision manufacturing, and branded distribution. Pat admired smart and talented entrepreneurs who had a passion for learning fast and seeking constant improvement. He always challenged teams with big goals and a forward-looking vision.

One of Pat's career highlights was becoming one of the founding partners of Sporting Club, the ownership group of Sporting Kansas City. Pat loved his hometown and Kansas City sports in particular. He was immensely proud to be a part of the original Sporting Club. Pat was dedicated to the shared vision of keeping KC a major league town, and he loved the challenge of putting the best team on the field.

Pat served on the independent boards of numerous Midwestern companies, including Applebee's International, Gold Banc, Lockton Companies, Unitog, Sealright, JPS Packaging, and American Safety Razor.

All career achievements aside, Pat was most proud of the things that kept his life full: his friends, golf, and most of all, his family.

Not only did Pat make lifelong friends wherever he ventured, but he had a gigantic heart and a passion for helping others in a wide range of capacities. He would vest himself into others' success, without expecting anything in return. Pat would often engage with those in need on a one-on-one basis, seeing to it that the person had access to the right resources to get back on track.

Golf and friendships usually went hand-in-hand for Pat. The game perfectly aligned with his personality, requiring smart decision-making, constant improvement, and a healthy dose of perseverance. As a young man, he qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship and enjoyed a great rivalry on the course with his two brothers and mom. Pat won several member-guest tournaments over the years, and even recorded five holes-in-one throughout his life. He credited golf with his involvement in the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association, The First Tee, and endless friendships. Pat's love for the game and competition took him to all corners of the US, the Bahamas, Canada, Scotland, and Ireland. He got so much joy in the relationships he formed through the game and the bonds he formed through competition - especially the Birdie-Bogey game.

Always at the top of Pat's list though was his family. Pat married the love of his life, Janet, on November 18, 1977 and they raised four children together. Pat cherished the life that he and Janet created: the travel, the dogs, and the craziness that comes with raising four kids. Pat was the ultimate supporter of his family - and Janet and his children's interests immediately became his. He found great joy in being on their team. Regardless of the subject, Pat wanted to understand the problems at hand and believed in an open door policy for unsolicited wisdom. He adored his grandchildren and loved being "G-Patty". In true Pat and Janet fashion, his final night with his family was a makeshift dog show with his kids, grandkids and granddogs. Despite his illness, Pat spent the evening smiling and enjoying time with his family-- it was the best night he'd had in months.

Pat is survived by his wife Janet and their four children Josephine (Bill), Betty Jean (Cory), Wiley (Caroline) and Olivia (Will), seven grandchildren (Elle, Matilda, Freya, Smith, Otto, Asa and Archie), his brother Timothy Curran (Connie), and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his brother Dr. Terrence Curran (Sara), mother Betty Ann Curran and father Dr. Desmond Curran.

Pat's family invites you to his Celebration of Life on November 2nd at 4:30 p.m. in Kansas City at Pat and Janet's home. If more information is needed, please contact [email protected].

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to Antoine's Fund (https://antoinesfund.org/), a local nonprofit created by Pat and Janet to support animal welfare.