John "Dick" R. Alley

Dick’s funeral service will be 11 a.m., Friday, July 7th at the funeral home.

The family will greet friends from 10-11 a.m., Friday, July 7th at the funeral home.

Burial will be at the Silent City Cemetery in Monroe.          

Memorials to Hospice of the Midwest or to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital may be left at the funeral home. Memorials may also be mailed to the funeral home, please add, Attn: Alley Family on the envelope.

John “Dick” R. Alley, the son of Cyrus Plato and Molly Ellen Coffey Alley was born on December 29, 1929 in Knoxville, Iowa. He served is country in the U. S. Navy and then he served his country for a second time in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

On June 23, 1956, Dick was united in marriage with Mary Lee Kirk in Unionville, Missouri. They had lived in the Colfax, Monroe and Newton areas since 1965. He moved back to Newton in 1996. Dick was a brusher in the porcelain department at the Maytag Company for 25 years, retiring in 1990. He was a member of the United Methodist Church in Monroe, he attended the Community Heights Alliance Church in Newton, he was a member of the Westgate Adelphic Lodge No. 500 A.F. & A.M. and U.A.W. Local 997 Retirees Union. Dick loved being with his family and talking about the good ol’ days. Dick had also enjoyed fishing, playing cards, traveling and going to flea markets. His family will remember and miss his sense of humor, tall tales and how he bent over backwards to help family and friends. They will always remembering his undying love and dedication to his wife, Mary Lee.

Dick died on Friday, June 30, 2017 at Accura Healthcare of Newton West. He was 87. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Mary Lee in 2000; daughter, Cathy; two brothers and five sisters.

Those left to honor Dick’s memory are his daughter, Susan (John) Nichols of Newton; son, Larry Shepherd of Des Moines; four grandchildren, Dean Karlzen, Debbie (Ronnie) Lewis, Chrissy (Adam) Smith and Nikki Williams; six great-grandchildren, Katelyn, Jake, Joseph, Adrianna, Jaren and Khalil; many nieces, nephews and friends.

 Service Information