Richard Henry Williamson, 88, of Burlington died peacefully at his home on February 24, 2022, with his family at his side. He was born on February 15, 1934, in Burlington to Arlo and Florence Williamson. He was a 1952 graduate of Burlington High School. He married Holly Tuchel on March 16, 1958, in Burlington.
He served in the U.S. Air Force for 4 years, spending the last 2 years working on high-flying Reconnaissance Aircraft, RB-57Ds, and U-2s for the Strategic Air Command, "The Bad Ass Boys." He worked at Champion Spark Plug for 32 years, retiring in January 1991. He was on the Board of Directors of Three I Credit Union serving as president for 20 plus years and the Board of Directors of River Bend Credit Union for 14 years. He served on the Iowa Credit Union League Board for 12 years. The highlight of his credit union career was being involved in the creation of the Credit Union Auditing Procedure Manual that was used by the National Credit Union Association.
He was an avid race fan and enjoyed snow skiing. He played fast-pitch softball when he was young and helped design and build the current softball field at Notre Dame. He was a member of the Eagles #150 for 70 years. He was a life-long member of Bethany Lutheran Church. His family was always number one. He was an accomplished world traveler and enjoyed spending time in Mazatlan, Mexico during winter for over 40 years.
He is survived by his wife Holly; two children, Gene (Carol) Williamson of Pella and Lori (Mark) Whalen of Burlington; five grandchildren, Dan (Kaitlyn) Whalen of Clive, Rachel Whalen of Burlington, Katie (Matt) Ness of Van Meter, Rick Williamson of Des Moines, and Anne (John) Dillon of Des Moines; five great-grandchildren, Jasmine Colin of Burlington, and Emmie, Eli, Mabel, and Nathan Ness of Van Meter; three sisters, Nancy Vaughan of Burlington, Karen Underhill of Apple Valley, MN, and Kathy (Robert) Cusick of Mexico, MO. Preceding him in death were his parents and one brother, Eugene.
Cremation has been entrusted to the Prugh Crematory.
Following his wishes, there will be no visitation or service.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established for Bethany Lutheran Church.