Obituary of Richard Powers

Richard Henry Powers, age 76, of Lone Tree, passed away July 13, 2026. He was reunited with his wife Susan and son Chuck, whom he missed deeply.  Richard was born January 19, 1950, in Iowa City, Iowa, to Lester and Gretchen (Keefer) Powers.

Richard was raised in the Iowa City area. He spent a lot of time with his great-aunt and Uncle Wilder on their farm, where he enjoyed riding horses. He often went to the Depot Lunch to spend time with his dad and uncle Louie, where he would drink unlimited soda and play the juke box.

He met Susan Haney at the Iowa City recreation center, and they were married on January 2, 1970, in Iowa City, Iowa.  They welcomed a son, Chuck, shortly after in February of that year and lived in Hills, Iowa City, North Liberty, Coralville, and eventually Lone Tree. In January of 2026, Susan and Richard celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary shortly before she passed. Richard was proud that they had that many years together.

Richard was a hard worker and worked as a dishwasher or custodian most of his life.  He worked many years at the University of Iowa Hospital, Moore Business Forms, Bennigan’s, University Athletic Club, and Civco.

Richard enjoyed bowling, doing word finds, watching WWE wrestling, going to dirt track car races, tractor pulls, and demo derbies. He also enjoyed going to thrift stores and finding treasures to give his granddaughter Jolie.  A favorite memory his kids have is that in the winter he would take them to an empty parking lot and do donuts. He made sure he always had birdseed to fill his bird feeders and corn for his squirrel friend.  He often sat on his back deck watching the birds and rabbits eat the birdseed.  His buddy was his dog, Sandy, aka his “doogle”. Sandy kept him company, hogged the bed, and often wanted him to play ball at 2 AM.  He gave Sandy more treats and balls than she knew what to do with.

Richard is survived by his daughter Sarah (Bruce) Gritton; four grandchildren, Scott Dakota Powers, Jade Hinricks, Kage (Nicole) Squires, and Jolie Gritton; siblings, Jan Metzger and Dan Powers; nephews, Bryan Metzger and Brett Metzger; and his goldendoodle, Sandy Sunshine.

Richard was preceded in death by his wife Susan, his son Richard Charles "Chuck" Powers, his parents Lester & Gretchen, his brother Steven Powers, and his in-laws Charles & Gwendolyn Haney.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, August 8th, at the VFW in Iowa City, located at 609 Hollywood Blvd, from 2-5.