Richard Ehlers, 72, of Perry, died Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015, at the Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. Memorial services will be held Saturday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Perry. Visitation will be Friday, Nov. 27 from 1-6 p.m., with family present from 4-6 p.m. and a time for sharing at 6 p.m. at the Carris Family Funeral Home in Perry.
Memorials will be given to Perry Lions Club or the Perry Public Library and may be left at the Carris Family Funeral Home. Online condolences may be sent at www.carrisfuneralhome.com.
Richard Elmer Ehlers was born Aug. 15, 1943, in Storm Lake, Iowa, to Elmer Dietrich and Catherine Bridget Grady Ehlers.
He attended school at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Storm Lake. He then furthered his education at Iowa State University and Indiana University.
He was united in marriage to Shirley Lu Robinson at Ames, Iowa, June 3, 1967.
Dick taught chemistry and physics at Perry High School for 30 years.
He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Perry, the Perry Lions Club, the Society Of Retired Educators (SORE) coffee club, the Perry Star Promenaders and the Teachers Association.
Dick enjoyed turkey, pheasant and deer hunting, fishing, square dancing, woodworking, reading and travelling.
He was preceded in death by parents.
He is survived by wife, Shirley, of Perry; daughters, Kirsten Ehlers of Minneapolis, Minn., and Kimberly (Mitchell) Linn of New Hudson, Mich.; and a sister, Barbara (Gerald) Landgraf of Albuquerque, N.M.
He inspired a love of physics in me that I carried into a career in engineering. Very sad to hear this news.
Mr. Ehlers was my absolute favorite teacher. He inspired a love of science that prompted my interest in genetics at Iowa State University. He was a great man and a great teacher.