Richard R. Spees

Richard Ray Spees, 89, of Keokuk, died at 2:05 a.m. Sunday, April 3, 2016, at River Hills Village in Keokuk. He was born June 7, 1926, on the home place in rural Scotland County, Mo., the son of William Thornton and Nellie Bonn (Bruner) Spees. He married Thelma June Hall July 30, 1944, in Downing, Mo. She survives. Richard and Thelma and their oldest child, Larry, settled in Keokuk in 1946. Richard drove a mail truck until he was hired by the Chicago, Quincy and Burlington Railroad (later Burlington Northern-Santa Fe) in the early 1950s. He was a relief yardmaster when he retired in the early 1980s. Richard was an automobile enthusiast who loved working on cars. He also enjoyed yard work, carpentry, traveling, pheasant hunting, having coffee with friends and watching NASCAR. He would do anything for his family, and he loved them very much. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Keokuk for more than 60 years, and more recently became a member of Silver Point Baptist Church in Tennessee. He and Thelma lived with their daughter, Kathy, and her family in Buffalo Valley, Tenn., for 3 ½ years, moving back to Keokuk in August 2015. In addition to his wife, Richard...[more]

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is survived by three children, Larry (Nancy) Spees of Keokuk, Trudy (David) Mahannah of Ludington, Mich., and Kathy (Brian) Sorenson of Buffalo Valley; six grandchildren, Matthew (Kathleen) Mahannah of Chanhassen, Minn., Joshua (Julia Sapir) Spees of Waynesboro, Va., Justin (April Strayn) Hutchison of Buffalo Valley, Jacqueline (Keith) Concisom of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, Ryan Hutchison of Silver Point, and Megan (Jared) McNeill of Keokuk; nine great-grandchildren, Rebecca Mahannah and David Mahannah of Chanhassen, Nico Spees and Willa Spees of Waynesboro, Lillie Hutchison, Britaney Hutchison and Brandon Lee of Buffalo Valley, and Alex Concisom and Joseph Concisom of Sarnia; brother- and sister-in-law, Donald and Grace Hall of Keokuk; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings, Ona Lee (Rosalie) Spees, Jewell (Berl) Lewis, his twin Russell (Betty) Spees and Estella Spees (who died in infancy); and a stillborn grandson, Jonathan Spees. Richard's family is grateful to the staff of River Hills Village and HCI Hospice Care Services, who provided compassionate and attentive care during his last days on earth. A Celebration of his Life will be held at 2 PM on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, at the 1st Baptist Church in Keokuk, with Reverends Dale Thomas and Tony Crow officiating. Burial will follow in Oakland Cemetery in Keokuk. Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 12:30 PM to 2 PM at the church directly before the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to HCI Hospice Care Services or the Keokuk Union Depot Foundation.