Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Bivins, Richard Owen 2005 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Marilyn Ransom mransom311@gmail.com August 25, 2014, 10:29 pm The Greenville Daily News, Tuesday, December 20, 2005 Richard Owen Bivins, 71, of Belding, passed away Monday, December 19, 2005 in Muskegon. Richard was born October 2, 1934 in Chicago, the son of Robert and Ida Porthon Bivins. He graduated from Belding High School with the Class of 1952. Following graduation Richard became one of the many victims of polio. He spent many months at Mary Free Bed Hospital in an iron lung and later at Warm Springs, GA. He was married on June 2, 1961 in Greenville to Marcia Schnepp. He and Marcia have owned Dick and Marcia’s Trading Post since 1962. Richard decided about 35 years ago that he wanted to have a riding lawnmower. We purchased one and Rollo Kilborn and Lyle Russell put a back on the mower and slots on the side for the arms from the wheelchair. A special brake was attached for him to use. We had the shortest grass in Belding. The places that the mower went on our property, I was always surprised that he never tipped it over. All rocks and stumps were fair game to him. Out back we have some holes in the ground covered with long grass, some body was looking after him. Our son Bob and his friends who grew up in this neighborhood were involved in shooting tennis balls from empty cans and rockets from a launcher. They did this in the yard next door. Every so often they landed on one of the neighbors’ roofs or were lost in the woods. Everyone went searching till they were found. We spent lots of money on tennis balls and rockets. When they landed on the neighbors’ roofs it was funny watching all the boys looking at the roof to see who would get the rocket down. Dick had as much fun as the boys did. Dick loved all sports. It didn’t matter whether it was football, basketball, hockey or golf. He loved it all Marcia doesn’t have the love of sports like Dick, she only knows two Detroit Tiger players, Virgil Truck and Hank Greenburg. Don’t talk sports with Marcia. Dick’s dad had tied his own flies for fishing for several years. Years later he was given his box of flying tying material and he taught himself to tie flies. Dick sold them for many years at the store. He enjoyed all of our customers, some became very good friends and still are. It was always a place where you could come and talk as long as you wanted to. Dick would pick on and tease many of his customers. It you didn’t start on him when you came through the door he would start teasing you first. All of this done in a good-natured manner. I know how much Dick will miss the store and not talking to all of our customers. It kept him young and involved in life which is what he needed. A deep and heartfelt thanks to all of you. He was preceded in death by his parents. Dick is survived by his wife, Marcia; their children, Robert and Stephanie Bivins of Grand Rapids, Lindsey and Michael Lacey of Greenville; grandchildren, Samantha Elizabeth, Jessica Ann, Bernard, Meredith; his sister and brother-in-law, Kathy and Greg Merritt of Troy; his aunts and uncles, Margaret and Al Hayes of Mears, Lucille and Mike Pendrick of Arkansas; and many cousins. In keeping with Richard’s wishes cremation has taken place. Memorial services will be 6 p.m. Wednesday at Johnson-Feuerstein Funeral Home, Belding, with Father CK of St. Joseph Catholic Church officiating. The family will greet relatives and friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be given to the Ionia County Commission on Aging. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/b/bivins27374nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 4.1 Kb