Obituary of Richard apos;Babe&apos Beard

His family includes his wife, Bunnie; son and his wife, Bill and Kathleen Beard of Oxford; daughter, Jean Neuhaus of Oxford; and son, Locke Beard of Oxford; six grandchildren, Will Beard, Wendy Stewart, Angela Myers, Michele Schmidt, Monte Neuhaus and Robyn Taylor; eleven great-grandchildren, Tiffany, Preston, and Trent Myers, Andrew, Margaret, Jeffrey, and Bobby Schmidt, Joshua and Erin Taylor, Joe and Victoria Stewart; great-great-granddaughter, Shelby Lacina. Babe was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Ross O. Beard and Robert E. “Buck” Beard; sister, Ruth Clute; and a son-in-law, George Neuhaus. Richard Beard was born September 12, 1911 near Oxford, rural Johnson County, the son of Richard and Lillie Maude (Dunham) Beard. He graduated from Oxford High School, later married Alice Bernice “Bunnie” Williams on June 2, 1939 in Oxford. For a number of years he farmed in the Oxford area, was a brick tender in the construction field, working on many of the buildings at the University of Iowa, worked for the ASC office, and after it completion, was the first custodian at Hancher Auditorium, later joined by his wife, Bunnie. He also worked as a custodian within the University Hospitals. Babe loved the outdoors, being on the farm, working in his garden, hunting, fishing, just being outside brought him great joy, along with sharing with friends at the “Depot” in Oxford. Memorial donation can be made in Babe’s memory to the Windham Community Church.