Richard D. Ocar

Richard D. Ocar, 92, of Davenport, died March 17, 2024, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf.

Visitation will be held Thursday, March 21, 2024, from 4 until 6 p.m. at the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, Davenport. There will be an additional visitation Friday, March 22, 2024, from 9 until 10 a.m. A time of sharing will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, March 22, 2024, at the funeral home followed by burial at the Rock Island National Cemetery, Arsenal Island with military honors. Memorials may be made to the St. Ambrose Athletic Department (in memory of Richard Ocar in memo) or Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House.

Richard was born on June 17, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois, a son of Joseph “Whitey” and Genevieve (Budzik) Ocar. He graduated from Weber High School and earned a full athletic scholarship to St. Ambrose College where he excelled in football and track. He was inducted into the St. Ambrose Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 alongside his teammates of 1950, the winningest team in school history. Richard graduated from St. Ambrose in 1953 with a degree in business. He proudly served our county from 1956 until 1958 in the Army.

He was united in marriage to Rosemary on June 16, 1979, in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Richard was vice president of Frank Foundry and retired as vice president of Blackhawk Foundry. He was a former member of the board of the Bettendorf Public Library. In his lifetime, he was a member of  Crow Valley Golf Club, Davenport Country Club, Rock Island Arsenal Golf Club, and is a current member of the Outing Club.

He loved to play golf, achieving holes-in-one at Emeis and the Rock Island Arsenal Golf Course, and when he couldn’t play the great game anymore, he started reading, usually whatever Rosemary recommended. Richard also enjoyed dancing, entertaining, and traveling. He loved to tell stories, even stories we have heard many, many times over. He loved every song Sinatra ever sang. He will be deeply missed.

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 44 years, Rosemary, Davenport; children: Debbie (Terry) Bayer, Overland Park, Kansas, David Ocar, Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, Doug Ocar, (Beth), Minneapolis, Minnesota, Michele (Dan) Darland, Davenport, and Matthew (Buffy) Gillespie, Wellington, Florida; grandchildren: Katie Conn, Greg (Trisha) Bayer, Jackson and Maxwell Stoos, Elizabeth Ocar, and Stone Gillespie; great-grandchildren: Skyler and Lucas; his sister, Sandra Wilkerson, Clinton, Iowa, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Richard was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Christine, and his parents.