Davis, Richard 'Dick' F.

Richard “Dick” F. Davis, 79, of Colesburg, died Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, at Mercy Hospital, Dubuque, following an extended illness. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. John's Episcopal Church, Dubuque. The family will greet friends from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Clifton-Murdoch Funeral Home, Earlville, and one hour before services Friday at the church. Burial of the cremains will be in the Zion Cemetery, rural Colesburg.

Dick was born Feb. 5, 1930, to Ernest F. and Lucy I. (Peck) Davis, on the family farm near Corydon, Iowa. He was the fifth of five children. He attended rural country school and graduated from Derby High School in 1947. He attended Iowa State University for a short time, before moving to Colesburg to work for his brother, Robert in a feed business.

On May 28, 1961, Dick was united in marriage to Betty (Littlejohn) Holthaus at the Colesburg United Methodist Church. Betty's two children, Terry and Peggy Holthaus helped celebrate the second marriage with their mother, following the death of their father, Merle in 1957. A third child was born to this union, with the arrival of Burton Davis in 1963.

Dick entered the work of his life in 1960, with the purchase of a hardware store on Main Street in Colesburg. For 38 years, Dick did his best to provide for his family by selling hardware, household appliances and service and repair on everything he sold. There was nothing Dick could not fix. He often talked himself out of a sale, by encouraging his customers to “repair rather than replace.” In 1973, he built a new store on the north end of Main Street. Dick never really retired, still helping neighbors and old customers with small repair jobs later in life. Dick also owned and operated his own corn shelling business and did some work in the dairy business, discovering many of the back roads of Delaware, Clayton and Dubuque counties.

Dick was committed to the betterment of the City of Colesburg. He served as council member, mayor, magistrate and chief of the fire department. He witnessed many changes and improvements to the small community. He was instrumental in the building of the city swimming pool and volunteered hundreds of hours to its construction. He was a past-president of the Colesburg Commercial Club, 50 year member of Constellation Lodge AF & AM 85 and was active in party politics in Delaware County. He was a member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Dubuque, and had served as parish treasurer.

Dick loved to travel. As a young man, he took trips to the Rocky Mountains, Black Hills and many trips to Leech Lake with Colesburg friends. After they closed the store, Dick and Betty took their motor home to many different states and Canadian provinces. Dick had many fond memories of their travels, and told many a story of their discoveries. He was an accomplished carpenter, with many projects completed, including the family home. His wood working projects will always be a source of family pride. Dick loved to fish. Before he married Betty, he built his first boat from a kit, which he used to take many family members fishing and sightseeing on the river. He was particularly fond of ice fishing and would rarely turn down an offer to go to Bussey Lake in Guttenberg. Dick was one of the first in the area to build his own portable ice fishing shelter which was enjoyed for many years. He was an avid reader, especially books on American History and American Presidents.

Dick is survived by the love of his life, Betty Davis of Colesburg; three children, Terry (Connie) Holthaus of Libby, Mont., Peggy Hinzman, and special friend, Bob Schroeder of Peosta, and Burton Davis of Manchester; two grandchildren, Jeff Hinzman and special friend, Melinda Morong of East Dubuque, Ill., and Jennie Holthaus Dean of Syracuse, N.Y.; one great-grandchild, Geoffrey Hinzman of East Dubuque, Ill.; a brother, Robert (Dorothy) Davis of Anamosa; sisters, Esther Hughes of Tucson, Ariz., and Dorothy (Virgil) Storm of Lucas; and several loving nieces and nephews.

Dick was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Lucy Davis; a sister, Elizabeth Thompson; and brothers-in-law, Harvey Thompson and Art Hughes; a grandson, Allen M. Holthaus; and a nephew, Stephen R. Davis.

Please sign the online guest book for Dick at under obituaries.