Richard Harold CRANE

CRANE, BEUKELMAN, HALL-HOEFER, HALL, HOEFER, HEMPING, LYONS, VARNUM, HAVLIK, NOHRE, LANGMANN

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 2/10/2024 at 13:06:57

January 30, 1934 --- May 14, 2018

Richard Harold Crane was born on the farm in Goldfield, Iowa on January 30, 1934 to Robert Sherman and Jennie A. (Beukelman) Crane. He attended school in Woolstock and Dows. When he was 18 years old he worked for Steelco Bin Company traveling the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Michigan, South Dakota and Colorado. He became a General Forman and superintendent putting up grain bins during the ASC loan program for grains from 1952—1960. He then returned to Dows in 1960 to save the family farm.

He married Margaret Ann Hall-Hoefer and they had four children Dan, Clara Jean, Tom and Lynnae. The family moved from Dows to Nevada, Iowa in 1964 and lived there until 1968. In 1968 the family moved to Colo, Iowa where Richard farmed and had a commercial spraying business, working with Ray Hoefer and had eight employees for several years.

Richard was a member of the Colo Fire Department, Colo United Methodist Church and was a long-time member of the Lions Club, receiving the Melvin Jones Award. He was a strong believer in Colo and was part of the group of families that contributed to rebuild the grocery store in Colo when the original one burned down.

Richard loved spring time and planting season. He enjoyed times spent fishing with friends Edgar Hemping, Harold Lyons and Fred Varnum. He especially enjoyed spending time fishing and hunting with brother-in-law Bill Havlik.

He loved tractor riding and loved his family! His children and grandchildren meant the world to him! Everyone has pictures of their kids in the tractor with Grandpa! When they retired to Nevada, they enjoyed all the neighbor’s children too, especially Samuel Hanson. Sam and Richard’s antics are legendary!

In his retirement years he enjoyed tractor rides, sitting on his front porch on a nice day and meeting at McDonald’s with his coffee friends.

In death Richard has been reunited with his parents Sherman and Jennie, his sisters Mary, Doris and Barb, and his brother Robert. Left to cherish his memory is his wife, Margaret; his sister, Alice (Bill) Havlik of Ft. Dodge, IA; children: Dan Hoefer of Denver, CO., Clara (Dirk) Nohre of Eau Claire, WI., Tom (Hilary) Crane of Marshalltown, IA., Lynnae (Alan) Langmann of Colgate, WI; grandchildren: Danielle Hoefer, Seyver (Rachel) Nohre and Zachary (Kelsey) Nohre, Ethan and Sara Crane, Sydney and Chandler Langmann; and a great-grandson Jasper Hoefer.

Please join us as we celebrate his life on Saturday, May 19th at Colo United Methodist Church. There will be sandwiches and fellowship time from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. followed by a worship service at 3:00 p.m. The family thanks you for the many gestures of kindness over this past month and to Suncrest Hospice for their care. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Iowa Public Television in memory of Richard. Rasmusson-Bacon Funeral Home in Nevada is handling arrangements.

http://www.rasmussonfh.com/obituaries/Richard-Crane?obId=3089970#/obituaryInfo