Richard A. Hanrahan

Richard Andrew Hanrahan, part of a well-known family at St. Patrick’s Irish Settlement in rural Cumming, Iowa, died peacefully, June 13, 2025, at home while surrounded by the family he loved. He was 79 years old.

Richard was born to Andrew Aloysius Hanrahan and Mary Louise (Brownrigg) Hanrahan on April 4, 1946, and resided his entire life on the family farm. Richard married Virginia Susan Walker on October 25th, 1975, at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Des Moines, Iowa. They would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this fall. They raised five children, Dan, Katie, Rose, Sarah, and Molly, all of whom currently reside in the area.

Richard’s family was the central part of his life, and they could always find him present and accounted for. He supported them with a strong work ethic, a kind and charitable heart, a sharp sense of humor, a love of others, and the gift of his time. He was well known for these traits, as well as a love of sharing stories that made the complexity of life more accessible.

He was a farmer. A farmer who made countless improvements on the land entrusted to him and exercised great stewardship over the Angus cattle that ran on it. He felt blessed to be born into the community of St. Patrick’s Irish Settlement, where he was a member of the church and was surrounded by so many who impacted his life. Along the way, he worked for UPS at the Des Moines airport, Capital City Fruit in Norwalk, and the McAninch Corporation in Des Moines, where he built countless relationships he held dear.

In 2012 he was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. He would be one of the longer surviving members of this disease and participated in the research trial that got the first drug labeled for its treatment approved. He exhibited tremendous resilience. He would thank all those that cared for him, particularly Dr. Alicia Gerke and her team, at the University of Iowa Hospitals.

Richard leaves to cherish his memory, his wife, Virginia Susan Hanrahan; son, Daniel Patrick (Shannon Meyer); daughters, Kathryn Marie Eads (William), Rose Ann Hanrahan, Sarah Elizabeth Hayes (Weston), and Molly Susan Dolan; and grandchildren, Brayden Eads, Bowen and Easton Dickinson, Kiernan, Slate, and Berkley Hayes, and Hailey and Raylan Dolan. Richard also leaves behind his younger sister, Mary Alice Hanrahan-Compiano (Joe); and numerous nieces and nephews and in-laws.

Among those preceding him in death were his mother and father; his older brother, Jack; his in-laws, John and Margaret Walker; and his son-in-law, Kenny Dolan.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at St. Patrick’s Irish Settlement Catholic Church in rural Cumming, IA. Visitation will be Tuesday, June 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home, Winterset Chapel, with a Rosary Service following. Burial will take place in the St. Patrick’s Church Cemetery. 

Memorials may be directed to the family for a future designation.