Kearney, Richard J. (1922-2014)

KEARNEY, COSGROVE, DELAND, MOE, KINTIGH, LUEHRING

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 1/15/2015 at 15:22:26

Richard J. Kearney
April 23, 1922 - December 20, 2014

Richard Kearney, age 92, died on Saturday, December 20, 2014, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Before his death, he was a resident of Otsego Place in Storm Lake.

A son of William and Agnes Cosgrove Kearney, Richard was born in Rock Rapids, Iowa, on April 23, 1922. He moved to Storm Lake when he was in 4th grade, and graduated from Storm Lake High School in 1940. Then, he began his college education at Loras College and Creighton University. During a break in his college years, he worked on the Alcan Highway in Alaska.

His education was interrupted by World War II. He served in the Army from February, 1943, to November, 1945, as a combat engineer in Europe, earning a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in battle and Bronze Stars for acts of bravery and heroism.

Following the war, he returned home to Storm Lake, obtained a bachelor’s degree from Buena Vista College, and married his friend and high school classmate, Barbara DeLand. Completely devoted to each other, they nurtured a marriage that lasted for sixty-five years until Barbara’s death on March 25, 2014. They had four children, Jan, Patricia, William, and Matthew.

Richard obtained his master’s degree from Iowa State University and embarked on a career teaching chemistry, physics, and electronics to students at Rembrandt, Hayes, and Early, and then for thirty-five years at Storm Lake High School as a beloved teacher. Before he retired in 1986, he made a lifetime of friends and enriched the lives of untold numbers of students.

Richard was a lifelong member of St. Mary’s Parish in Storm Lake. His many interests included decades of amateur radio activity, and he will be remembered by many by his call letters K0HLM. He could build or fix anything, most notably beautiful and intricate miniature engines which he made on his metal lathe. He loved to grow roses in his garden by the lake. But mostly, he was interested in his family and his wide and treasured circle of friends.

Richard is survived by his children, Jan Kearney (Charles Sabalos), of Tucson, Arizona, Patricia Moe (Keith), of Albert City, and William (Ying) and Matthew Kearney (Jamie), all of Iowa City; his grandchildren, Elizabeth, Emily, Emma, Helen, and Sarah; and his great- grandchildren, Braylon, Eve, Cannon, and Vivian; his nieces, Lynn Kintigh and Kathleen Luehring; and his nephew, Thomas Kearney. He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara; his parents; his brother, William; and his sister, Corinne.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 27, 2014, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Storm Lake. Burial will follow in the Storm Lake Cemetery. Visitation will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, December 26, 2014, at the Sliefert Funeral Home in Storm Lake, which is in charge of arrangements.

Copyright © 2014, Sliefert Funeral Homes

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