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Richard Alvin Cole, 78, of Newton died on Sunday, April 14, 2024 at his home. A private family burial will be held at the Iowa Veteran’s Cemetery in Van Meter. In lieu of flowers, memorials to St. Croix Hospice may be left at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory.
Richard, the son of Roy Roscoe and Sylvia Inez (Boyd) Cole, was born on February 28, 1946 in Keosauqua, Iowa. He grew up in Keosauqua and graduated from Van Buren High School. After high school, Richard served his country in the U.S. Army stationed in Munich, Germany. When he returned from the service, Richard began his 35-year career at the Maytag Company. On February 22, 1997, Richard was united in marriage with Pamela Page at Circus Circus in Las Vegas, Nevada. During their early years of marriage, Richard owned the Coal Mine Bar and Grill in Bonaparte, which Pam would operate during the week and Richard would join her on the weekends. Richard would retire from Maytag as a Supervisor in the Paint Department. He was never one to sit still and after his retirement he worked at Yeager’s Plumbing and Heating and later for HIRTA.
Richard was a huge fan of NASCAR, the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings. He loved his cats Romeo and Alvin, working in his yard, and grilling out. Richard enjoyed working on his vehicles and always had them polished and shined.
Richard is survived by his wife, Pamela Fay Cole of Newton; children, Joe (Shelly) Cole, Dan Cole, Cindy (Robert) Shields, and Fay (Nathan) Kilburg; his grandchildren, Christopher and Nathan Cole, Adam Richard Cole, Bradley, Sarah, and Milan Shields, Ashley Miles, Arianna Stamper, Aaron Stamper, and Emersyn and Eva Kilburg; great-grandchildren, Amias Stamper, Carter Hagan, and Coraline Miles; his siblings, LaVene (Linda) Cole and Vicki (Steve) Lane; many nieces and nephews; and good family friends, Michelle and Jerred Veverka. He was preceded in death by his father, Roy Cole; mother, Sylvia (Gerald) Sampson; son, Charles Stamper; and his siblings, Lloyd Cole, Virgil Cole, Ralph Cole, Arlene Gaskell, Harold Cole, and Roy Cole, Jr.