Richard "Dick" Healy

Richard “Dick” Emmet Healy, age 73, of Vail, Iowa, died on December 13, 2025. Born to Sarah Patricia (Eggers) Healy and William James Healy on Oct. 2, 1952, Dick was the third of nine siblings and was raised on his family’s farm near Boyer, Iowa. He received his sacraments at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, where he remained a member throughout his life.

As a youth, Dick participated in the Happy Hustlers 4-H Club and graduated from Ar-We-Va High School in 1971. Following graduation, he traveled the Midwest working for Hanson Silo before returning to the family farm. During the challenges of the 1980s farm crisis, Dick helped support the family operation. He later established Healy Brothers Farms alongside his brother Greg, and served as a Stockholm Township trustee. Dick was a talented herdsman, raising cattle, dairy, and pigs. He also had a soft spot for the barnyard critters, often feeding the stray cats and dogs around his place. In addition to farming, Dick spent many years working for the Crawford County Secondary Roads Department where he maintained miles of gravel that served the county’s farming community. He will be remembered for many things, but especially for his work ethic.

An analog man in a digital age, Dick did not own a cell phone, a television, or have internet access. He was a voracious reader who stayed informed on current events through newspapers, radio, magazines, and conversations with friends, neighbors, and family. Dick’s idea of light reading was working his way through the encyclopedia. His interest in history made him the unofficial family historian and keeper of photos and stories.

A man of few words, Dick enjoyed (very) efficient conversations with his nieces and nephews on topics ranging from agricultural trade policy and “flower farming” (of which he was not a fan) to manufacturing practices and Irish history. Dick enjoyed a good outing and a cold beverage. A connoisseur of wine and spirits, Dick enjoyed tipping one back with friends and family, who knew to make the visit quick. He was famously skilled at the Irish goodbye.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Pat and Bill; brother, Raymond; brother-in-law, Mark Cook; nephew, Patrick Healy; and great-niece, Coraline Harding.

Dick is remembered by his siblings: Roger of Castana, Iowa; Gerald of Boyer, Iowa; Leo (Brenda) of Milan, Missouri; Cathy (Rick) of Wall Lake, Iowa; Greg of Boyer, Iowa; Connie of Jacksonville, Florida; and John (Monica) of Lake View, Iowa; along with 24 nieces and nephews and 35 great-nieces and nephews.

Visitation with the family greeting friends will be held on Thursday, December 18, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at St. Ann Catholic Church in Vail. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, December 19, 2025, also at the church. Burial will follow in St. Ann Cemetery in Vail.