Richard Eibey

    Richard “Dick” Eugene Eibey, 85, 1909 Main Ave., Clear Lake, died Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011 at Mercy Medical Center of North Iowa, Mason City, Iowa.  A funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Aug, 11, at the United Methodist Church, 508 2nd Ave N., Clear Lake, with the Rev. Diana Hoover officiating.  Visitation will be held

from  4 – 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 10 at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. 4th St.  Interment will be at the Clear Lake Cemetery with the military honors provided by the Clear Lake V.F.W.  Memorials may be given to the Richard Eibey Memorial Fund. 
     Richard was born May 23, 1926 in rural Ventura to Roy and Nita (Ayers) Eibey.  He received his education in the Clear Lake, Manly and Rockwell, Iowa schools.  He served in the U.S. Army in World War II and was honorably discharged in 1946.  On Jan. 31, 1947 he married Shirley Hunt at the Methodist parsonage in Mason City.  
     Richard worked as an auto body repairman and dairy delivery man until they began farming in 1948 in the Thornton and Meservey, Iowa area.  They moved to rural Clear Lake in 1956, moving to town in 2003.  In addition to farming, he was a substitute mail carrier, starting in 1967, and later, a full-time rural mail carrier until his retirement in 1990.  He served on the ASC Committee for 17 years and was past director of the Farmers Co-op Gas company, a lifetime member of  the Clear Lake VFW and a member of the Clear Lake United Methodist Church.
     Richard enjoyed many fishing trips to Canada, woodworking, restoring old tractors and other farm antiques, having coffee with friends and neighbors and most of all, entertaining his grandchildren.
     Survivors include his wife, Shirley; one daughter, Brenda and her husband, Tim Wichman, of Clear Lake; two grandchildren, Brianna and Bryce Wichman of Clear Lake; one sister, Lois Fields of Salida, Colo., a sister-in-law, Bonnie Olinger of Clear Lake; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
     He was preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Irene Casebolt; and three brothers-in-law, Orlan Casebolt, Glenn Fields, and Harold Olinger.
    Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of arrangements.