Memorial
Richard Dean Fowler – February 26, 1933 – July 20, 2026
Our beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, and friend, Richard Dean Fowler left us on July 20th to reunite with his Homecoming Queen in Heaven. Theirs was a love story for the ages – born and raised in Ames, Dick met Mary Jo Highbarger during his Freshman year and was with her until she died in 2018.
Dick and Jo were married in 1952, while he was a student at the University of Iowa. He played football and ran track for the Hawkeyes and was later inducted into the Ames High Hall of Fame for his achievements in track, football and basketball.
After receiving his Bachelors in Science in Pharmacy in 1956, he and Jo moved to Cedar Rapids, where he opened a pharmacy for Farm Market. In 1969 he was recruited to open the first Drug Town, on Wilson Avenue, where he was the manager and pharmacist until 1986. After retiring he filled in for vacationing pharmacists in small towns across Iowa.
They moved to Omaha in 2005 to be close to daughter Anne, two grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. They enjoyed their time there attending the young ones sporting and dance events and a breadth of cultural activities.
He continued throughout his 93 years to fervently follow Hawkeye football, basketball, volleyball, and most of all, Caitlin Clark and the women’s basketball team. He had season tickets to the games and didn’t miss attending or watching a single one. Watching sports and following his favorite teams was one of his greatest passions.
But his most treasured accomplishment was his family. He is survived by three daughters and a son - Anne Mai (Mike), Sarah Allen (Dan), Ted Fowler (Gloria) and Amy Fowler (Rich) - six grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, one niece and nephew and many extended family members. We will be forever thankful to Sarah and Dan for inviting him into their home and care for the last six years. He had a fantastic end of life, befitting a man who lived a life of service to others.
He was a devout Christian and his faith was central to every interaction he had. He was fiercely committed to fairness, compassion and unconditional love. He made a point of saying hello to everyone he met, and if you were lucky enough to know him, you know that he was warm, sincere, and one-of-a-kind.
Our hearts are broken at losing such an incredible man, but we are comforted knowing he lived a long and healthy life full of his favorite things - family, his work, black coffee, the newspaper, rhubarb pie, novels, hot meals, neighborhood walks, travel with his high school sweetheart, and last but not least – sporting events.
GO HAWKS!