Richard A. Watkins (1936 - 2001)

WATKINS, BUHMAN, LUETH, SCHURKE, BRANDES, LUNDEEN

Posted By: Beverly Witmer (email)
Date: 2/2/2013 at 09:14:39

Quad-City Times, Davenport, Iowa, 1 Mar 2001

BETTENDORF -- Services for Richard A. "Dick" Watkins, a resident of Bettendorf, will be 1 p.m. Saturday at McGinnis, Chambers & Sass Funeral Home, Bettendorf. Burial will be in Davenport Memorial Park. Visitation is 4-8 p.m. today at the funeral home. Dick died Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2001, at Genesis Medical Center-East Campus, Davenport, after a sudden illness.

Dick owned and operated Dick Watkins Appliance Repair in Pleasant Valley for 21 years. In earlier years, he had been employed at Chuck's Appliance in East Moline. He was born July 1, 1936, in Davenport, the son of Ralph S. and Edith C. (Buhman) Watkins, was a graduate of Bettendorf High School and served in the Iowa National Guard. On Sept. 8, 1957, he married Joan L. Lueth in Davenport. The Watkins family was well known for onion farming in Pleasant Valley and from a very early age, Dick and his family raised and sold onions. Dick was a member of Pleasant Valley Fire Department for 39 years, where he had served as president and as secretary for several different terms. He also was one of the first school bus drivers for the Pleasant Valley School District. An avid outdoorsman and sportsman, he spent many enjoyable hours hunting deer and turkeys with his bow. The Iowa Hawkeyes were a favorite of Dick's, and he dearly loved to watch his grandchildren participate in softball, baseball, basketball and dance. He also enjoyed collecting antique fire department memorabilia. Memorials may be made to Bettendorf Fire Department.

Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Joan; his daughters, Corrine Schurke, LeClaire, Iowa, and Stefanie Brandes, Davenport; his son, Mark, Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.; his grandchildren, Jennifer, Michael, Seth and Rachel; his great-granddaughter, Jenessa; and his sister, Ruth Ann Lundeen, Tucson, Ariz. He was preceded in death by his parents.