NAVY
23 years

After graduating from Galena High School (Galena, IL) in the Spring of 1956, Richard George Spurr went to get a job across the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Iowa. And what a job indeed! He enlisted in the United States Navy. Later that summer, he shipped out to Great Lakes, Illinois and completed Navy Basic Training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Upon completing recruit training Richard chose to become a member of the U.S. Navy Construction Battalions, or Seabees. He then went to Rhode Island to complete the Naval “A” School for the Naval job rating of Construction Electrician. After completion of “A” School, Richard began to get a real taste of active duty. His first duty station was a 6month stint in Africa in the country of Morocco. His duties consisted of maintaining the naval facilities on the coast of this host country. Subsequent to this, Richard was assigned to the Island of Bermuda in the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. He spent the last three years of his enlistment helping to construct the Naval Air Station in Bermuda. Upon discharge in early 1960 he returned to Galena, Illinois where he married his high school sweetheart, Carol Kieffer. Life took Richard and his young, growing family to Clinton, Iowa, but the love of the Navy and the United States of America never left him. So, in the early 1980s, Richard re-enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Reservist. His time in the Naval Reserve was marked by monthly training in Rock Island, Illinois and later in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. His yearly active-duty stints took him to California frequently to Camp Pendleton with the United States Marines and Port Hueneme Naval Base. He was also able to perform his active duty in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor, as well as one trip to South Korea. He continued on until his retirement as a Chief Construction Electrician in October of 1998 after almost 23 years of service to his nation. His time in the Navy was marked by a tremendous enthusiasm for each assignment and a dedication to the mission in service of his country. The motto of the Seabees is “We Build, We Fight!” The members of the Construction Battalions were not only well versed in the art of construction, but also in the art of being fighting men, ready to defend God, Family and Country. Richard George Spurr exemplified these traits and brought great credit upon himself and the United States Navy.

Honored by: CR Association of Realtors/his loving wife, Carol, children, and families