10/09/2012
Richard Paul Stephenson was born on January 15, 1951, in Knoxville, Iowa, the son
of Paul and Ruby (Jones) Stephenson. He graduated from Knoxville High School. Richard enlisted in the United States Army and served during the Vietnam War. He worked at Rolscreen in Pella for 20 years.
He then worked at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Knoxville until it closed and then he was transferred to the Veterans Administration Center in Des Moines. In his spare time, Richard enjoyed playing video games and he also collected superhero comic books.
Richard passed away Tuesday, October 9, 2012, at the V.A. Central Iowa Health Care
Center in Des Moines at the age of 61 years. He was preceded in death by his parents; grandparents, Henry and Stella Stephenson and Frank and Edna Jones; niece, Lisa
DeJoode and nephew, Mark DeJoode.
Those left to honor his memory include his son, Tony Stephenson of Kansas; sister,
Kathy Ewing of Sigourney; step-brother, Eddie Poole of Louisiana; step-mother, Alfretta
Stephenson of Knoxville; niece, Melissa (Donny) Klett of Sigourney; nephew Joel
(Tasi) DeJoode of Oskaloosa; great-nephews, Joshua and Justin DeJoode of Oskaloosa
and Curtis and Johnathon Klett of Sigourney; uncles LeRoy Stephenson of Georgia and Clinton Jones of Knoxville; and several cousins.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, October 12 at 11 a.m. at Williams Funeral
Home in Knoxville with Elder Bill McDonald officiating. Burial with military honors
will follow in Graceland Cemetery in Knoxville. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m.
Friday morning. For those desiring, memorial contributions may be made to the family.