Obituary of Richard Anthony Behling

Dick was born on a dairy farm near Waterford Wisconsin. He graduated from Waterford High School in 1943. He joined the US Army in 1945 and served as a T4 Staff Sargent stevedore on the Aleutian Island of Shemya for 11 months during WWII. On June 21, 1947 he married Carol (Peterson) in Burlington, Wisconsin. In Burlington, he began his life-long career in excavating. In 1950, he was the first operator at J. W. Peters new ready-mix plant where he stayed until 1956. At that time, he and two partners formed Tri-Way Excavators Inc.. In 1971, he moved with his family to Lake Havasu City, Arizona where, as a "pioneer", he worked for Colo-Rio Construction for 20 years before retiring in 1991. He was a lifetime member of the International Union of Operating Engineers and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was an active member of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church and a charter member of the St. Thomas More Council of the Knights of Columbus (KCs) in Lake Havasu. He held many offices in the KCs. At the KCs' AZ State Convention In 1992 he was awarded the Knights' District Deputy of the Year for the State of Arizona. His district included Bullhead City, Kingman, Lake Havasu City and Parker, Arizona. Dick is survived by his devoted wife, Carol; his daughters Luetta Donalds and Mary (Joe) Kamari and his sons Richard C. and Donald (Mary Ann); his grandchildren, John Donalds, Elizabeth (Keith) Bridgford, Kristin (Evan) Youdall, Molly Kamari, Richard P., Kyle (Jennifer) and Michael Behling; and six great-grandchildren, Reid and Allison Bridgford, Hailey and Zara Youdall, Grant and Linnea Behling; sister-in-law, Irene Behling, and many relatives in Wisconsin. He was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Henrietta (Kortendick) Behling and three siblings, Dorothy (Kruse), Louis, and Donald. On Friday, January 30, 2015, a rosary will be held at 10:30 a.m. and a mass will follow at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Havasu City. Burial will be at St. Mary's Cemetery in Burlington, Wisconsin at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Havasu or Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Services were placed in the care of Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home and Crematory. Thoughts and condolences may be sent to the Behling's family at www.lietz-frazefuneralhome.com.