Richard Marlin Ford

Richard Marlin Ford was born July 19, 1938 to Otis D. and Wilma M. (Hepler) Ford at the family home in Washington Township. Richard was the second child of three and grew up on the family farm where he learned to work hard and be a true steward of the land. Richard attended Washington #4 school and graduated from Bridgewater High School in 1957. He was fiercely loyal to his hometown.
Richard accepted Jesus as his savior at a young age was baptized and became a member of the Bridgewater United Methodist Church. Richard served his church family in many ways including assisting with ushering duties, as a communion steward and mowing the lawn for several years.
Richard was united in marriage to Judy L. Miller on September 3, 1960 in Menlo, Iowa. To this union four children were born: Richard Dean, Charles Daniel, Roberta Jean and Douglas Wayne. They made their home in Des Moines but moved back to the family farm in March of 1962, where Richard stayed busy farming, doing custom work and serving on several civic committees.
Richard always enjoyed trucking the farm commodities to the market and in later years worked in several truck driving jobs including Schildberg Construction Company. Richard always had a good joke or story to tell at the end of each day and enjoyed his days in the rock truck immensely.
Richard loved to camp, especially with Judy’s family. He loved tending the fire, keeping the coffee pot filled and listening to the stories that were told!
Richard was very pleased that his children grew up on the century old family farm, but in 1990 he and Judy moved into their present home in Bridgewater. During his retirement years he worked part-time at the elementary school (he loved that the kids all called him grandpa) and at the Good Samaritan Center, but his favorite thing to do was mow lawns (he would travel far and wide to mow a lawn).
One of Richard’s goals in life was to visit every state and he was very proud he was able to do that but was quick to say that he never found any place he liked better than his beloved Bridgewater. He dearly loved the time he spent with his family and friends.
Richard was preceded in death by his parents, parents-in-law Charles and Omeda Miller, son Dan Ford, daughter-in-law Shelly Ford, grandson Tracy Carpenter and several sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife Judy Ford; sons Dean (Marilyn) Ford of Holden, MO and Doug (Emily) Ford of Fontanelle; daughter Roberta (Keith) Carpenter of Bridgewater; grandchildren: Jessica (Norman) Bass of Odessa, MO, Megan (Jake) Quick of Blue Springs, MO, James (Becky) Ford of Shawnee, KS, Kenton Ford and Kevin Ford (Liz Nourse) of Greenfield; great grandchildren: Silas and Makenna Bass of Odessa, MO and Landon Ford of Shawnee, KS; brother Marvin Ford (Vicki) of Creston, and sister Ione Jensen of Fontanelle; sisters-in-law: Helen Egger of Yuba City, CA, Bonnie (Warren) Garwood of Dexter, IA and Reba Miller of Menlo, IA; and brother-in-law John Still of Redfield, IA; and cousins, nieces and nephews.