Richard “Dick” Ellsworth Campney, age 88, of Forest City, Iowa, passed away Monday, August 1st, 2022 at MercyOne Medical Center North Iowa in Mason City, Iowa, surrounded by his family. A memorial service for Richard will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday, August 5, 2022 at the United Methodist Church, 305 S. Clark St. in Forest City, with Pastor Les Green officiating. Ice cream, refreshments and fellowship will follow the service. The service will be livestreamed beginning at 1:00 Friday. Simply go to www.schottfuneralhomes.com and click on Richard’s information. The link can be found under the “Tribute Wall” tab just under Richard’s name. Richard was born April 7, 1934, in Havelock, Pocahontas County, Iowa. He was the son of Walter and E. Lorraine (Thompson) Campney. The family moved from Havelock to their family farms three miles south of Burt where Richard graduated high school in 1952. With his dad Walter, Richard managed “Yenp Mac Holsteins” (Campney spelled backwards). Their dairy operation grew to 200 head and included a state-of-the-art milking parlor, which was innovative for the area. Between the two farms, Richard and Walter grew corn, soybeans, and alfalfa, and were members of the Associated Milk Producers Inc. Richard earned his degree in Agricultural Education from Iowa State in 1956. After Walter retired in 1979, Richard sold the herd and diversified the farm. He raised sheep and taught Vocational Agriculture and sciences at Burt High School and Iowa Lakes Community College, and later transitioned his agricultural knowledge to working for government extension services. While at the Surf Ballroom, he met Elaine Cole, and they were married September 7, 1987. Richard and Elaine enjoyed ballroom dancing and delivering Winnebago motor homes together across the country, sampling ice cream along the way. They also delighted in sharing the roses from their garden. When Richard’s work took him to Egypt, Elaine joined him for a portion of the travels and together they learned the local culture. Richard and Elaine loved being grandparents, traveling to see grandkids across the country. They shared their love of ballroom dancing, were passionate about music, and ardently supported fine arts in Forest City. When grandkids traveled with the band and choir to perform, Richard and Elaine often joined them, and on one trip to Washington DC, drove the accompanying respite Winnebago. They loved to visit school classrooms and interact with students, sharing their experiences of Egyptian culture. As a proud Iowan, Richard remained engaged in the community, driving school buses for Forest City Community School District and Waldorf. He was a Mason, a Shriner, and a Lion, and participated in many other civic engagements he believed in. Richard was a fixture at fireworks with Sousa marches, school concerts, council meetings, and fundraisers. If there was a community event, Richard was probably in attendance, joking with familiar acquaintances and making new friends. He was an education advocate and independent thinker, who always had time for a conversation–especially one with lighthearted teasing. Whether he was a friendly face in the crowd or the grandpa who called to sing Happy Birthday every year, Richard will be missed. Richard was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine; his parents; his brother and sister-in-law, Arthur and Jo Anne Campney; his niece, Martha Jane Campney; and Elaine’s son, Timothy Cole. He is survived by his nephew, Benjamin (Beth) Campney of Des Moines, IA and his niece, the Rev. Rebecca (Philip) Campney Carver of Coralville, IA; his great nephew, Joel Carver of North Liberty, IA; his great-great nephew, Grayson Carver of Cedar Rapids, IA; Elaine’s children, Kevin (Cherie) Cole of Ankeny, IA and Lori (Steve) Damman of Indianola, IA; seven grandchildren, Sherry (Joshua) Kirkes of Foster City, CA, Julie Kingland of Indianola, IA, Joel (Kelley) Damman of Melbourne, IA, Brian (Emily) Damman of Indianola, IA, Daniel Cole of Des Moines, IA, Isaac Cole of Clear Lake, IA, Lydia Cole of Clear Lake, IA; and 11 great-grandchildren. As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be sent to the American Cancer Society or the Campney Scholarship at the Iowa United Methodist Foundation.