Chilean‑born coach ‘Keno’ Rodrgiuez, who helped shape KC gymnastics, dies at 68
Anyone who went to the store with him knew to be prepared for a 40-minute reunion with the produce guy or his favorite cashier.
Friends and family knew no early bed times during his get-togethers, when Karaoke and guitar strings sounded until around 3 a.m.
And in Kansas City-area gyms, young athletes knew him as the joyful center of a community he built by teasing them about their stinky feet and patiently passing along decades of gymnastics expertise.
Eugenio Anibal Rodriguez, or “Keno,” as his friends and family called him, died abruptly while on a trip to Santiago, Chile, on April 6, 2026. He was 68 years old.
His daughter, Lisa Rodriguez, said he was known for his loud sense of style — his favorite shirt had a rainbow tiger on it — and his funny sayings. But in particular, she said, he is remembered for his passion and love of life.
“He had unrelenting joy in his ability to create community wherever he went,” Lisa Rodriguez said.
Love for gymnastics, community
Keno, a proud Chilean immigrant to the U.S., was born March 3, 1958 in Santiago. From an early age, he possessed a jokester’s personality, his daughter said while looking through newspaper clippings at his Overland Park home this week.
Lisa recounted memories spent with her “super involved father,” who always wanted to be at school, help organize parties and events, and of course, take the spotlight at those events.
A scrapbook of newspaper articles and old photographs of Keno’s gymnastics teams sat on the kitchen table, telling the story of a man who turned joy, coaching and connection into his life’s work.
Keno earned a degree in physical education from the University of Chile in 1980. After college, he coached gymnastics at the German Club Manquehue in Santiago, then traveled to Hamburg, Germany in 1989 to continue training a men’s club team.
He met Anne, an American foreign service worker, and they married in 1986. They had three children: Lisa Anne in 1988, Jessica Dominica in 1989 and Matias Eugenio in 1991.
After Matias was born, the family relocated from Germany to Overland Park, where Keno lived for the rest of his life. Keno and Anne eventually divorced but remained close, according to his obituary.
Keno left his mark in the local gymnastics community through his innovation in children’s gymnastics programs at Blue Valley Recreation. His programs began training students as young as 2-years-old.
He earned Kansas State High School Association Coach of the Year honors in 1998 and was named the Regional Gymnastics Coach of the Year in 1999 while coaching in the Blue Valley School District. He also earned a judging recognition award for traveling the country to judge at gymnastics competitions.
Several coaches who worked with Keno went on to open their own successful gyms, drawing from his techniques and coaching style.
Sitting with Lisa Rodriguez at Keno’s kitchen table Sunday was Eric Smith, who learned gymnastics from Keno and later became one of his closest friends.
“It’s still hard to believe that he’s gone,” Smith said. “I learned so much from him that I created my own place, and I still use the practices that he taught me.”
Reputation as a family man, coach & clown
Keno’s personality in gyms made the students feel welcome, safe and relaxed in a space where competition could thrive, Smith said.
Keno brought his goofy side to every practice, getting laughs at stinky feet jokes, or pretending to run into a door.
But beyond the jokes, he loved the feeling of seeing children overcome obstacles, Smith said. Keno was particularly proud of the work he did with children who had social or developmental challenges.
“So kids that didn’t necessarily thrive in a group setting, and he would do private coaching with them as well, and really learn different techniques to to level and communicate with a child the way that they needed to receive it,” Lisa Rodriguez said.
“He was great at that, and I think that’s why he was so beloved by parents in the community as well.”
Keno had some favorite restaurants — where he thrived on getting the best deals and discounts — but he preferred to cook at home, where the party could go as late as he wanted. He made a mean pico de gallo, and upon popular request, would bring that salsa to every party.
He loved to host, and even formed a local community of expats from Central and South American countries living in the KC area.
“I just got a text from a friend who works at a restaurant that my dad liked to go to, and he said, ‘I didn’t know him well, but when your dad was in the room, you wanted to stay in that room,’” Lisa Rodriguez said.
Knowing his Chilean heritage, local TV news outlets once interviewed Keno as miners were being rescued following the 2010 Copiapó mining accident.
“It’s a miracle, it’s magical, and also spiritual,” Keno said in the interview.
What he said on-air in that moment became a running joke his children made, but shows how emotional and loving he could be, Lisa Rodriguez said.
“He was extremely affectionate… my dad could cry at the drop of a pin,” Lisa Rodriguez said. “The emotion just poured out of him. And so there was never any doubt how my dad felt about you.”
Keno had built a strong relationship with his grandchildren, who always got excited to see him, Lisa Rodriguez said. In the family, he was known for passing down values of loving fiercely and freely, and turning every space into a party, she said.
Later in life, Keno’s children teased him about his affection for bottle corks and a seemingly random affinity for crafting. Around his house this week were projects, some complete, others stopped in progress, left undone in his absence.
That absence is felt deeply in the hearts of those who love him, Lisa Rodriguez said. Keno was good at bringing the family together, and she hopes they will continue to be good at that after his passing.
Before he died, Keno was planning his annual retirement and birthday party with family and friends. The family is planning to have that party in May as a private celebration of life.
Since Keno was a friend to many, they might have a hard time keeping it small, Lisa Rodriguez said.
“What’s hard is that my kids won’t get the grandpa, like the ultimate grandpa, the ultimate abuelo, the way that I had the ultimate dad,” Lisa Rodriguez said.
