It is with great sadness we have learned of the passing of Dick Muller who not only gifted us with his time and talents, but also volunteered at many other organizations throughout the Quad Cities.
Richard George Muller, who went by the nickname Dick, was born on February 21, 1931 in Muscoda, Wisconsin. His parents were Leo and Frances (Snoeyenbos) Muller. Dick was the second of four children and the only boy. After high school, Dick attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he earned his BS and MBA.
In 1961, Dick married Suzanne Sally Schmidt on June 17, 1961 at the Outing Club in Davenport. Dick was president of the Three “I” Truck Line and Sally worked as packaging manager for Crescent Macaroni & Cracker Company.
Dick was also associated with Jenkins Truck Line, Inc. and later John Deere. Dick was manager of transportation for the John Deere Parts Distribution Center in Milan, Illinois when he retired in 1991 after 24 years with the company.
Dick volunteered his time even before retirement. He was a member of the Scott County Iowa Genealogical Society (SCIGS) for more than forty years. He served as president for SCIGS more than once and donated countless hours in many other capacities. In 1992, Dick was recognized by the State Historical Society of Iowa for volunteering. He also spent hours donating his talents at the Bettendorf Public Library (in 2002 he was recognized for donating over 300 plus hours of volunteer time to the library) and the German American Heritage Center of Davenport where he attended the membership list and newsletter mailings.
We knew Dick through SCIGS and through his volunteer hours at our front desk in the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center of the Davenport Public Library – Main Street Branch. Even before retiring from John Deere, Dick was willing to spend his Saturdays helping others do genealogical and local history research. He was one of the original volunteers in our department starting in 1984.
We remember Dick as a dedicated volunteer, but also as a kind and generous person. His generous nature helped many over the years and we all enjoyed hearing updates on Sally, his children, and grandchildren who he loved greatly. We thank Dick for his years of support and friendship as we send our condolences to his family.
