Robert Lewis RICHARDS

RICHARDS, WOODMAN, PESTOTNIK, LANG, BURCH

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 3/27/2015 at 14:07:29

October 20, 1944 --- March 22, 2015

Robert Lewis Richards, 70, passed away on Sunday, March 22, 2015. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, at Ankeny Memorial. Funeral service will be on Friday, March 27th, at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Dows, Iowa.

Bob was born in Boone, Iowa on October 20, 1944 to Chester and Florence Richards. After graduating from Boone High School in 1962, Bob began his career as an apprentice carpenter and spent the majority of his career as construction superintendent working on a large number of major commercial construction projects in the Des Moines area. In the fall of 1992, while he was superintendent on one such construction project at John Deere Des Moines Works, he met the woman who would soon become the love of his life, Cathleen Woodman. Bob and Cathy were married on February 11, 1995 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Ankeny.

Bob's love of wood and carpentry remained with him throughout his life. After retirement, he began making wooden inlaid crosses for mission trips and enjoyed sharing his faith through giving these crosses to those he met along the way. Bob never knew a stranger and was always ready to help whenever called upon. He shared his love with his church families at Grace Church in Des Moines, Iowa and St. James on the Lake in Kemp, Texas.

Bob and his loving wife built their house together. He told many that it would take six months to build but with help it took one year. He was very proud of his home and freely gave tours to anyone new visiting. Bob and Cathy enjoyed spending time in their sunroom especially on a cold, sunny day watching the birds and deer and sometimes getting upset if the deer were eating too much bird seed.

Bob always loved the outdoors. Every spring he enjoyed mushroom hunting and picking wild raspberries. He loved flower and vegetable gardening as well, but his main love was fishing. Salmon fishing on Lake Michigan in his boat Sweet Catch with Cathy was his favorite thing to do. She was always at his side steering the boat for him while he handled multiple lines.

Bob and his wife enjoyed traveling and spending time in their winter home in Texas. Bob was devoted to his family and will be greatly missed by his loving wife Cathy, daughter Anne (Ryan) Pestotnik and their sons Seth Richards and Dylan and Joseph Pestotnik, daughter Jennifer (Chris) Lang and children Jackson and Avery as well as daughter April (Ben) Burch and children Emma, Hope, Audrey, Rebekah and Connor.

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