Richard 'Dick' John Mouchka

RICHARD "DICK" JOHN MOUCHKA

Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

Richard "Dick" John Mouchka, 85, from Lake Havasu City, Ariz., died peacefully on Friday, May 28, 2021, at his home in Lake Havasu City. Dick was born Jan. 1, 1936, in Belle Plaine, Iowa, to Charley and Opal Mouchka, the second of two children. He graduated from Belle Blaine High School in 1953, and then enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1954, where he served in Alaska as an engineer equipment repairman earning the rank of Specialist 2 Sergeant. While in the Army, he married Betty J. Slaymaker from Marengo, Iowa, on April 15, 1955, at The Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1957, he and Betty began farming Betty's family farm south of Marengo, where they raised cattle and hogs, and grew and sold corn, soybeans and oats. In the early years, they also ran a large egg operation on one of their several farms. After farming together for 35 years, they sold the farm operation in 1992. Dick met and started a new life with Earlene Schafbuch McCaw from Marengo around this time, and they subsequently moved to Missouri and later went to Lake Havasu City in Arizona.

Dick is survived by his wife, Betty J. Mouchka; partner, Earlene Schafbuch McCaw and her family; one nephew, Chuck Holston; and three first cousins, Evelyn Reger, Jeanie Pace and Darla Boudjenah. He is also survived by 11 second cousins, Sherry Stanbrough, Rick Reger, John Reger, Pam Harms, Peg Modracek, Charles Weaver, Garland (Pat) Pace, John (Kelly) Pace, Michael (Chad) Dunham, Shelley Kubik and Josh Tidrick.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charley and Opal Mouchka; his sister, June Holston; one nephew, Mike Holston; two first cousins, Robert Modracek and Lowell (Mike) Dunham; and two second cousins, Kim Towle and Jeanne Weaver.

As a farmer Dick was a hard worker with good business sense. Yet at the end of the day, he also took time to play catch or throw a football with his younger cousins who came to visit and work on the farm regularly during the summer months. And he seemed to always savor a cold bottle of Pepsi (or two) after a long hot day working in the fields. Enjoying an occasional banana split from Dairy Queen in Marengo was also one of his pleasures. He will be missed by his family.

It was announced in an earlier obituary from Earlene and her family that there will be a private Celebration of Life service at a later date and his ashes will not be brought back to the Marengo Cemetery until after Earlene's passing.