Ellwood, Richard Boe (1928-2018)

ELLWOOD, OLSON, KVALE, HODNEFIELD, WHITNEY

Posted By: Debbie Greenfield (email)
Date: 12/12/2020 at 10:52:00

South Hamilton Record News, Jewell, Iowa, May 23, 2018

Richard Boe Ellwood was born on May 30, 1928 to Gustav and Torine (Olson) Ellwood at the family farm north of Ellsworth, Iowa. He died on May 2, 2018 due to complications from pancreatic cancer.

Dick attended country schools from an early age and eventually graduated from Radcliffe High School in 1945. He faithfully attended Lutheran churches and loved singing in church his entire life. He started a career in farming immediately following high school graduation and continued with that activity most of his life. He also owned and operated an insurance business and sold real estate in the Ellsworth/Radcliffe community for several years.

On a blind date at Waldorf College in the fall of 1946 (set up by his friend from Radcliffe) he met the love of his life. Legend has it that when he first saw Doris Ruth Kvale he told his friend, "That's the girl I'm going to marry someday." And, marry her he did in June of 1948 at her home church in Lake Mills, Iowa. They were married for 64 years before Doris passed away in 2012. To this union three children were born: Rozanne, Debb and Vince.

Dick farmed for over 63 years in Blairsburg/Williams, Ellsworth, Radcliffe and other nearby central Iowa communities. Dick and Doris were a team, working hard together on the farm and raising their family in the process.

Doris also operated the La Femme Beauty Salon in their home southwest of Radcliffe for over 16 years. Tragically, that business came to an end on December 31, 1976, as an accidental fire destroyed their home (and the beauty shop with it).

Soon after that fire, they purchased a new home on a golf course in Sun City, Arizona and spent the next 35 years dividing their time between Iowa and Arizona (usually November to March in Arizona, and April to October in Iowa).

Upon completing his Iowa farming career in October, 2011, Dick and Doris made Sun City their permanent residence.

Dick was preceded in death by his wife, Doris. He is survived by his three children and their families: Rozanne (Steve) Hodnefield of Radcliffe, Iowa, Debb Whitney of Scottsdale, Arizona, and Vince (Ellen) Ellwood of Plano, Texas. He also leaves behind a very special friend, Marge Munden of Sun City, Arizona and a foreign student son, Lars (Ida) Ostbo of Oslo, Norway.

Dick was blessed to be "Grandpa Ellwood" to eleven grandchildren: Brett, Cory and Boe Hodnefield, Spencer, Weston, Grant and Hudson Whitney and Andy, Katie, Peter and Nathan Ellwood. He also greatly loved his sixteen great grandchildren: Kassidee, Kyler, Kolby, Kiley, Braelyn, Cade, Hanna, Ells, Sophia, Addilyn, Henrik, Nila, Brynlee, Braxton, Branson and Bretleigh.

Dick was a loving husband, a generous and devoted father, a great athlete and competitor, and an incredibly strong and motivated farmer/businessman. He lived a good life, full of lots of challenges and adventures, and he enjoyed his family most of all.

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

A memorial service will be held at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Story City, Iowa on May 30 at 10:00 a.m.