Richard Bayley Rhea
February 10, 1928 - June 11, 2019
Richard “Dick” Bayley Rhea, age 91 of La Plata, Missouri, passed away Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at the La Plata Nursing Home.
Born February 10, 1928 in New London, Missouri, the son of William Allen and Minerva Belle (Bayley) Rhea. On October 26, 1952 in Shelbina, Missouri, he was united in marriage to Velda Claire Burt who preceded him in death on October 5, 2000.
Also preceding him in death were his parents; one brother, Robert Rhea; and two sisters, Betty Sanders and Kathryn Libbee.
Surviving are one son, Richard B. Rhea Jr. and wife Diane of Huntsville, Missouri; one daughter, Marilyn B. Rhea of Maryville, Missouri; and three grandchildren, Christopher Rhea and wife Caitlin, Lauren Kleinschmit and husband Kasey, and Patrick Rhea.
Dick was a 1945 graduate of Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Missouri, and later graduated from the University of Missouri with a B.S. in Agricultural Economics. He served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He moved to La Plata in 1957 where he had been a member of the La Plata Lion’s Club, a fifty-year member of the La Plata American Legion, and was a member of the First Christian Church in La Plata where he had served as Elder and Deacon.
A Celebration of Life service will be 2:00 p.m. Sunday, June 16, 2019 at Travis Funeral Chapel. Officiating will be Pastor John Gorham. Inurnment will be in the La Plata Cemetery.
Visitation will be one hour prior to the service, starting at 1:00 p.m.
Memorials in memory of Richard Bayley Rhea may be made to the La Plata Nursing Home. They may be sent to or left at Travis Funeral Chapel, 125 S. Church St., La Plata, Missouri 63549.
