Richard "Dick" Eugene

Strother

Richard (Dick) Eugene Strother of Cedar Rapids, previously of rural Mount Vernon, passed away peacefully on November 11, 2026. A funeral service will be held at Linn Grove Presbyterian Church, rural Mount Vernon, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 15, followed by a celebration of Richard’s life.

Dick was born on September 5, 1929, to Glenn E. and Doris (Armstrong) Strother of rural Martelle. He was the third of four children. He graduated from Martelle High School in 1947. His children learned as adults from neighbor Bill Goudy that Dick was a tremendous athlete, playing basketball and baseball.

As a young farmer/school bus driver, Dick met a young Martelle teacher named Donna Lea Heiken. Their first date happened as a result of Donna scolding Dick for teaching students to make paper airplanes, which they then threw around the classroom. Dick and Donna were married on June 1, 1952, and were together for 72 years, living and farming on a long-established family farm. They raised three children, Dennis, Denise, and Debra. The most important things in his life were his relationships as husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend.

He could strike up a conversation with anyone and was well-known for his remarkable memory of details.

As a farmer, Dick loved working with his dad, Glenn; his brothers, Dale and Louis; and his brother-in-law, Hank Davis. When he worked alone, Dick worked at his own pace and didn’t pay attention to what neighbors were doing. Conservation always played an important role in how he approached farming decisions.

Dick and Donna were active in the Linn Grove Presbyterian Church, which is located on the corner of the family farm. In recent years, Dick appointed himself unofficial property manager and groundskeeper of the church. That included locking and unlocking the church, turning the heat and air conditioning up and down, and, with the help of Luke Ellyson, trapping raccoons and skunks under the church.

Dick was a 4-H leader for a time and served on the Martelle Telephone Co-op Board and the County Mutual Insurance Board for many years. But his great passion was being a founding member who stayed involved throughout life in the William Strother Genealogical Society, the history of which dated back to William Strother the Immigrant in the seventeenth century. He also looked forward to and enjoyed the Martelle School’s alumni banquet each year.

He is survived by his son, Dennis (LeAnn) Strother of Hampton; daughters, Denise (Mark) Clark of Marion, and Debra (Jim) Hoffmann of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; eight grandchildren, Tyler (Mandy) Strother, Scott (Becky) Strother, Stacy (Will) Farmer, Joe Clark, Jeremy (Jen) Clark, Jake Clark, Kip (Laci) Hoffmann, and Makenzie (Steven) Schultz; and two step-grandchildren, Kyle (Celia) Butson and Andrea (Daniel) Stember; twelve great-grandchildren, Lily and Eli Strother, Brody, Ryder, and Madox Strother, Nora and Emma Clark, Kai and Finn Hoffmann, Jude, Grady and Hattie Schultz; and three step-greatgrandchildren, Eleanor, Willa, and Zoe Stember; two sisters-in-law, Erma Heiken and Helen Heiken; as well as many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Donna; his parents; brothers, Dale and Louis; sister, Lois Darlene; and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Linn Grove Presbyterian Church, 2000 Linn Grove Road, Mt. Vernon, Iowa 52314, or the charity of your choice.