Richard "Dick" Kallemeier

Richard “Dick” Kallemeier, age 85, of West Des Moines, passed away peacefully on July 29, 2025.

Dick was born on December 7, 1939, the son of Henry Lester and Ruth Della (Kaltwasser) Kallemeier in St. Louis, MO. He was raised in the St. Louis area and graduated from Riverview High School in 1957. He attended Missouri Valley College and graduated with his bachelors degree in 1961. He met the love of his life, Ruth Virginia Pilgrim in St Louis, and the two were married on November 3rd, 1962. Dick and Ruth welcomed two children, a daughter, Leslie, and a son, Rick. Dick worked for McDonnell Douglas as a Director of Human Resources in St. Louis for over 25 years.

Dick was a fierce advocate for the United States Navy. He attended OCS and was enlisted for 6 years as active duty and entered into the United States Navy Reserves after. One of their favorite places he was stationed at was Honolulu Hawaii. He retired from the U.S. Navy at the rank of Captain. His time in the Navy fueled a passion for service. One of his biggest volunteering points was helping those in need file taxes with AARP. He spent many years volunteering and advocating for the Retired Officers Association of Missouri, even serving as President of the association.

Dick and Ruth loved to travel and would frequent Maine and Ohio as often as they could. His pride and joy were his children and grandchildren. He and Ruth attended as many of the grandchildren’s activities as they could. Watching them compete brought much joy into their lives.

Dick was preceded in death by his parents.

Left to cherish his memory is his wife: Ruth; children: Leslie Kallemeier and Rick (Patricia) Kallemeier; grandchildren: Berit and Emerson; as well as many more relatives and friends.

Public visitation will be held on Tuesday, August 5th, 2025 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home and Crematory in Urbandale. Cremation will take place following the public visitation. A second visitation will be held on Friday, August 8th, 2025 at Edgewater Retirement Home in West Des Moines at 3:00 pm.

Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.caldwellparrish.com