Richard Kerkhof

Richard Kerkhof passed away at his home in Russiaville, IN on Saturday, October 18th, 2025. Richard is survived by his partner, Robin, his brother, Nicholas, his children Aron and his wife Cecily, Valerie and her husband Steve, Evan and his wife Rachael, as well as his grandchildren Joseph, Jack, Lorelei, Marrah, Oliver, and Olivia. He is preceded in death by his parents, Aron and Phyllis, and his sisters, Karen and Julie.

Richard did and saw a lot in his nearly 79 years on this earth. Born on a farm, he graduated from Mooresville Highschool in 1965. He then served his country in the US Navy as a hospital corpsman. He was honorably discharged from the service as Petty Officer First Class. Next, he attended Purdue University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. Richard worked as a dental lab technician, first at Riley Dental Hospital for Children, and then later at the IU School of Dentistry, where he supervised the labs used to train future generations of dentists.

After his retirement, Richard enjoyed staying active. His interests included pickleball, cycling, and dancing with his best gal Robin. He was talented and proficient working with his hands, always preferring to do things himself over hiring them out. He loved doing puzzles and would reliably do every crossword and cryptogram in any newspaper he could find. He is plausibly the greatest champion of Microsoft’s Free cell the world has ever seen.

He loved to fish, especially with his children and grandchildren, often spending more time baiting hooks and untangling lines than he did catching actual fish. He enjoyed car and horse racing and loved watching classics from his childhood like Bonanza and the Lone Ranger.

Richard loved his friends and family and worked by word and example to pass his virtues of industriousness, resourcefulness, frugality, community responsibility, and honesty to his children and grandchildren. He will be missed.

Memorial contributions may be made to Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, at curealz.org. Stout & Son Funeral Home has been entrusted with cremation.  Messages of condolence may be left online at www.stoutandson.com.

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