Richard Dempsey

Compassionate, loving, dedicated, hard working – these are just a few of many words that describe Richard T. Dempsey. A man who loved to play softball, listen to Big Band music, take vacations with his family, and worship his Lord. Those close to Richard knew how much they meant to him – if not by his words, then by his actions of love and dedication.

The United States was in a time of great change in the year 1918. Though the soldiers were returning home, the whole of Europe remained a smoldering wasteland because of World War I. Soldiers came back to find many of the traditional values had been swept aside in favor of a contemporary lifestyle. Part of this new lifestyle was the increased interest in popular music. Phonographs, or gramophones, were now part of family entertainment, and it was estimated that over 100 million records sold that year. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, William and Bertha (Roth) Dempsey were getting ready to celebrate the new year – and celebrate they did. Their son Richard was born on New Year’s Day, 1918 – the first baby born that year in the city of Grand Rapids. To commemorate this special event, the family was awarded a silver cup from Hobart’s Jewelers. Richard was destined to make his mark in the world.

William was an accountant and bookkeeper and worked for Standard Oil and the city of Grand Rapids. Richard enjoyed a typical childhood, in the midst of his 2 older sisters, Lillian and Ruth, and younger sister Muriel, or “Maxine” as her friends called her. They were “west siders” and Richard loved playing baseball. He played sandlot ball with the neighborhood kids and was also on his church baseball and basketball leagues. The family were members of the Valley Avenue Methodist Church and attended Sunday services regularly. Young Richard also played on the church fast pitch softball team, pitching a no-hitter – an accomplishment he was especially proud of.

Richard was a multi-talented and hard-working young man. Besides his interest in sports, he also took violin lessons and played in the high school orchestra. He knew the value of hard work and reaped its benefits by having a paper route, and delivering groceries for a local grocer – by truck, after he earned his driver’s license. There were fun times for the family – summers spent in rented cottages by the lake.

Richard attended Pine Street Elementary School and the Sibley Elementary School, graduating from Union High School in 1936. During this time, while attending Valley Avenue Church, Richard had made the acquaintance of a young lady named Beatrice Yeiter, as her family also attended Valley Avenue. Their friendship grew and they began dating – until Richard got drafted. In 1942, Uncle Sam called and Richard answered. Drafted into the Army, he was stationed in California, Texas and then sent to Europe in January of 1945. He was a member of the 13th Armored Division, which landed at LeHavre, France that January. Although never a part of front line fighting, Richard performed his duties bravely. During his time in the service, he and Beatrice kept in touch through their many letters to each other. While home on furlough in August of 1945, Richard received the news that Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been bombed, and the war was over. When he returned home for good, he and Beatrice were married at Valley Avenue Methodist Church on June 28, 1947. They honeymooned in the Upper Peninsula, going to St. Ignace by ferry, for this was before the Mackinac Bridge had been built.

For a while, the newly weds lived with Beatrice’s mother at 425 Garfield, NW. Richard continued his habit of hard work, and worked for Kelvinator, a photo finishing shop, and a furniture factory. He then settled in at R.C. Allen, a business machine company in Grand Rapids, before finally moving to Klaiber Manufacturing, a job his brother-in-law got for him. He worked for Kleiber for 25 years, and then went to work for the Grand Rapids Water Department, finally retiring in 1983 at age 65.

Richard and Beatrice had started their family in 1950, with the birth of daughter Marilyn on January 24. Younger brother Bruce followed on July 31, 1951. The children attended Shawmut Hills Elementary, and like their father, graduated from Union High School. In 1955 Richard and Beatrice bought a home at 2256 Tremont, where they lived until 1998. During this time, the family took many vacations together. They spent 3 weeks in California and also visited the Grand Canyon. As he had done as a child, Richard and now his family spent summers in cottages on Gun Lake, Lake Louise, and Big Starr Lake. They also took several camping trips together. Richard had always remained close to his sisters and they got together on a regular basis. The Dempsey family had always attended Valley Avenue Methodist Church where Richard served as Sunday School Superintendent for many years. When the church closed, they became members of the Wallin Congregational United Church of Christ.

Richard was a well-rounded person with many interests. He loved the Big Band era and enjoyed listening to the music. He liked to fish, especially with his buddies in the spring. He continued to play softball well into his 40’s. He even tried his hand at ceramics – but that didn’t work out. He was a real meat and potatoes man, roast beef, please, but his tastes were as varied as his talents. He also liked sweet and sour Chinese food and fried smelt from Doornbos’ fish market. He and Beatrice loved to travel and took part in many reunion trips with his army buddies from the 13th Armored Division. These trips took them to places like San Antonio, Ft. Knox, Virginia, Tucson, and St. Louis. After they had both retired, the couple took a wonderful 12-day trip to the Holy Land. This was very meaningful for Richard and had a great impact on his life.

Richard was a natural caregiver. When one sister became a widow, Richard was there for her. And another sister, who never married, relied on Richard until she died. He made sure he passed this value of caring along to his children. In 1998 he and Beatrice decided to give up their large home and its maintenance, and moved to Clark Retirement Community. Here, they both enjoyed the close companionship of the other residents and the social activities. Richard continued his caring mission by serving as Area Chairman and as a Big Brother, welcoming new residents and helping them get settled.

In 1992, Richard underwent bypass surgery. The surgery went very well, but recently he had experienced several falls, fracturing some bones, which slowed him down considerably. His last fall resulted in a broken femur. His loving heart could not stand the surgery and he suffered a heart attack on March 3. Richard and his family spent their last days together, reminiscing about all the good times they had had. He told his family how much they meant to him and how thankful he was to have such a loving and caring family – traits surely learned from their father. He talked about his relationship with God and his spirituality. He told his family “I’ve tried to live the life the Lord wanted of me. I am in God’s hands”. Standing by his bedside, the family sang “Amazing Grace”, his favorite hymn.

Mr. Richard T. Dempsey, aged 86 of Grand Rapids, died on Sunday evening, March 7, 2004 at St. Mary’s Mercy Medical Center, in the presence of his loving family. His family includes his wife of 56 years, Beatrice Dempsey (Yeiter); his children, Marilyn Dempsey-Reynolds (David) of Naples, FL, Bruce Dempsey (Anne Barton-Dempsey) of Muskegon, MI; his grandchildren, Sarah (David) Short, Lillian Dempsey; his step grandchildren, Eric, Joshua and Kyle Ahlquist, Renee (Jon) Larson, Kristi Reynolds and David G. Reynolds; several nieces and nephews and many friends. The funeral to celebrate the life of Richard will be held at Clark Retirement Community Chapel, 1551 Franklin SE, on Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 PM with graveside services in Greenwood Cemetery. Relatives and friends may meet his family at Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW on Tuesday evening from 7-9 and at Clark Home on Wednesday from 1:00 PM until the start of the service. Please visit Richard’s website at www.lifestorynet.com where you can read his life story, leave your memories of him or make contributions to Wallin Congregational Church Memorial Fund or Clark Retirement Community Benevolent Fund.

Richard and his family are eternally grateful for the loving care given to him and his family, especially the palliative care of Dr. Colleen Tallen and Dr. Mark Spoolstra and their staffs, and the wonderful caring staff of Clark Home and St. Mary’s Hospital-7 North.

Thank you.