Richard Church

RICHARD EUGENE CHURCH

Hiawatha

Richard Eugene Church, 82, of Hiawatha, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017, after an extended illness. A Celebration of Life service will be at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, at Christ Episcopal Church, Cedar Rapids.

Richard is survived by his wife, Jean (Odendahl) Church; his daughters, Cheryl Valenta of Cedar Rapids and Barbara Dye of Kansas City; and grandchildren, Calvin and Mitchell Valenta and Dalton and Mackenzie Dye. From his previous marriage, surviving are his daughter, Amy Yerges of Seattle; son, Tim (Candi) Nolte of Crystal Lake; and grandchildren, Ryan and Jenny Nolte. Also surviving are his sister, Marge (Jerry) Hoey; and several nieces and nephews.

Dick was born Aug. 10, 1934, in Darien, Wis., to Harry and Mildred (Brown) Church. He graduated from Harvard High School, married and had two children, Tim Nolte and Amy Yerges, while they lived in Illinois. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, took pride in serving his country, and was a member of American Legion Post 735 in Hiawatha.

On Nov. 4, 1961, Dick married Jean (Odendahl) Church and was blessed with a 55-year loving relationship. Together they had two daughters while living in Rockford, Ill.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Rockford College. He was a sales manager for Anderson Brothers Manufacturing Co. and in 1976, he purchased a recruiting franchise, Dunhill, and located in Cedar Rapids, where he worked until his retirement. He loved the Cedar Rapids area. In conjunction with a tri-parish congregational effort, he was instrumental in getting a Vietnamese refugee family moved to Cedar Rapids and helped settle them into a new life here.

He was very active at Christ Episcopal Church, loved people and gave great hugs. It is reflective in his life and involvement with hospice as hospital chaplain and the healing prayer team at church. He loved music and enjoyed going to the Cedar Rapids Symphony Concerts and listening to Orchestra Iowa with his dear friends, Gail (Alt) and Joe Conlan. He played the trombone, accordion and bells at church.

Dick's favorite pastimes were bowling, fishing, golfing and playing cribbage with his grandchildren which was his most precious time. He enjoyed Facebook as a way of communicating and keeping in contact with the people he loved. His faith was strong and he believed Jesus was his Lord and Savior.

He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends.

In lieu of flowers, honorary donations can be made to Christ Episcopal Church or Hiawatha Firefighters Association.