Richard Schilling

Richard "Dick" J. Schilling, 84, of Waukon, IA, died Tuesday, November 27, 2018, at his home. Memorial services will be held Monday, December 3rd, at 10:00 AM at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Mark Osterhaus officiating. Burial with military honors will be at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to St. Patrick School in Waukon.

Richard John Schilling was born June 30, 1934, in Waukon, IA, the son of John Michael and Mabel Rosella (Beck) Schilling. Dick attended St. Patrick Catholic School in Waukon, where he was editor of the school newspaper, a member of the school's successful debate teams from 1948 to 1952, and a member of the basketball team. In 1952, he graduated first in a class of 27. Dick received a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts from the University of Iowa in 1956, with a major in radio and television news in the department of journalism.

In the fall of 1956, he was accepted for the Naval Officer Candidate School, where he graduated as an ensign in the spring of 1957. After attending aviation ground officer's school in Florida, he was assigned to Air Task Group 3 at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, CA, and that fall was deployed to the South Pacific with that unit aboard Aircraft Carrier USS Kearsarge. Upon his return from deployment, Dick became administrative officer of the newly formed Replacement Air Training Group at Moffett, near San Francisco, and served there until he was discharged in the spring of 1960. He returned home to Waukon and in the fall of 1962, Dick joined Waukon Newspapers and was named news editor in January of 1963, a position he held for 36 years before retiring in 1998. He started a column for the newspaper in 1965 called "And Then I Wrote" with the last one being published the week he passed away.

He was a member of The Waukon Junior Chamber of Commerce, serving a term as vice president in the 1960s; Dick received a Meritorious Service to 4-H award in 1966. He was a member of the local Selective Service board during the Vietnam War, a member of and also served as president for the Waukon Municipal Library Board. Dick was named Outstanding Conservation Reporter by the State Soil Conservation Service in 1975, and received the Americanism Through Journalism award and a medal from American Legion Post 62 in 1981.

Dick was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church and sang in the choir for many years; he taught Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes for St. Patrick High School seniors. He coached third and fourth grade peewee summer league baseball. Dick also enjoyed gardening, hunting, fishing, and reading.

Survivors include several cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents.