Richard "Dick" L. Wobst

Richard L. “Doc” Wobst, 70, of Newton died on Monday, August 22, 2016, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.  A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, August 27, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Newton.  The family will greet friends after the service with a lunch at the church.  Memorials to St. Nick’s Christmas Club, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, or to the family may be left at the church the morning of the service or at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory.

Dick, the son of Kenneth and Eleanor (Sklener) Wobst, was born on November 21, 1945 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  His family were successful entrepreneurs, owning the Shoecraft Inc. in Milwaukee.  Dick grew up in Milwaukee and attended Washington High School before graduating from Menomonie Falls High School.  Dick then continued his schooling, graduating from the Milwaukee School of Engineering with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  He then served his country during the Vietnam War as a medic in the U.S. Army with the Big Red One.  While serving he received a Bronze Star. After returning from the service, Dick was a part owner of a sprint car that traveled to Knoxville, Iowa to race. As a Mechanical Engineer, Dick worked on many projects including designing the chassis for the VR1000 Race Bike for Harley Davidson and the compact tractor for New Holland.  While living in Pennsylvania, Dick met and was married to Lorraine Hopper on October 31, 1998.  They later moved to Indiana and then in 2005 to Newton, Iowa.  In the spirit of entrepreneurship that he learned from his family, Dick owned engineering businesses named High Tech Visions and Convergence Engineering. He then finished his career at Maytag, Whirlpool, and then Springboard.

Dick was a member of the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, serving as Treasurer, President of the Jasper County Vietnam Era Veterans, on the crew for the Steam Engine at the Jasper County Historical Museum, active in the Jasper County Democrats, and was a mentor to many people in their life journeys.

Dick is survived by his wife, Lorraine Hopper-Wobst of Newton; first cousins, Sue (Bill) Hoefs and John (Cindy) Wobst of Wisconsin; brother-in-law, Robert (Linda) Job and Linda’s sister, Renee Smialek, all of Pennsylvania; Megan Crawford, whom Dick loved like a daughter and her two sons, Lucas and Benton; and Bill and Toni Vessels, whom Dick loved like a brother and sister.  He was preceded in death by his parents; first cousin, Debbie Wobst; paternal grandparents, Paul and Lula (Menteer) Wobst; maternal grandparents, William and Elizabeth (Owen) Sklener, Sr.; and an uncle, William Sklener, Jr.

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