Richard Wilbur, 1965 - 2025
It’s impossible to capture a person in an obituary, and especially someone whose adult life was largely defined by alcohol abuse and other addictions. To some, Richard was troubled with many issues – when they saw his addiction, they lost sight of him. And that’s truly unfortunate. Richard was a charismatic, driven, and loving father who, despite his shortcomings, had all the makings of a great man who by his own demons could not control what would eventually take him away from us.
Richard Wilbur, 59, passed away on Jan 19th, 2025, in Iowa City, IA. He was surrounded by his family and loved ones.
Richard was born on Nov 11, 1965, in Nashua, NH, and had a brief stint in Londonderry, NH before moving to Southern California and then finally Des Moines, IA. He was the second child to Marty and Steve Wilbur. He is survived by his dad (Steve), sisters JoAnn (Robin) Robbins and Bobbie Wilbur, brother Eric (James) Ferguson, daughters Jessica (Gilbert) Coronado and Jamie Wilbur, son Max Wilbur, grandchildren Evelyn, Izabella, Summer, Gilbert Jr., and his beloved cat Willow. He is preceded in death by his mother Marty Wilbur, his dog Chief, Monty the python, and his childhood cat of 20 years, Smokey.
Growing up, Richard was an active child who loved everything from being in the water, to riding bikes and protecting his older sister from boys he didn’t care for. Even at an early age, he was protective of the ones he loved and that continued throughout his life. His love of being in the water allowed him to excel at being a great swimmer. This was only coupled by his enjoyment of camping and spending time with his family by the campfire telling stories, making snacks, and sharing his love with those around him.
For those who knew Richard well, he was also into biking and would often enter the largest bike-touring event, RAGBRAI, a non-competitive bicycle tour across Iowa from the western to eastern border. His enthusiasm around being free, meeting people of various backgrounds, and sharing in this epic eight-day rolling festival made him happy.
He was also a lover of cooking, which is evident in early photos of him and sister wearing aprons and holding utensils. His passion for the culinary delights allowed him to pursue different restaurant jobs which he loved and became famous for – his cooking.
Sports was another great interest of his, and he shared many moments with his family and children going to Hawkeye games and especially loved tailgating. He was an avid Chicago White Sox fan and played slow pitch for many years on a team called the Rotten Tomatoes.
Richard was a deeply beloved son, father, uncle, cousin, brother, and friend. His passing was sudden and unexpected but quick, probably just like he always hoped it would be.
He was a rock to many, a master at sarcastic humor and witty timing to others, and even a glorious pain in the neck, to what I’m sure is a small select few (because no matter what happened between you in your lives, once you were marked as important to him, he’d be by your side no matter what).
A celebration of life will be held on Tuesday, Jan 28th at the American Legion in Coralville, IA from 1-6pm (901 2nd St., Coralville, IA 52241). All are welcome to pay their final respects and share any stories of enlightenment, encouragement, and empathy for the loss of a beloved man and son.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be sent to his daughter Jessica.