Richard Diers

Richard Herman (Dick) Diers was born on November 22, 1923, in Osceola Nebraska to Faye Cynthia (Bond) and H. Kenneth Diers. He was baptized in the Gresham Presbyterian Church and was a member there until his death on Tuesday, May 22, 2007. He was 83 years old. He lived in Gresham until June, 2001 when he moved to York. He attended Gresham High School and graduated in 1941. He attended the Lincoln School of Business. He then worked at the Firestone Tire Company in Los Angeles, California prior to joining the service He enlisted in the Army and served from 1943 until 1946 during World War II. Following the war he returned to Gresham where he worked with his father, uncle and brother in the Diers Brothers Grocery store. At one point the Diers Brothers expanded to include nine stores in the area.

On September 11, 1949, he married Arlois Irland Nelson in Gresham. With his new wife came a ready made family of two children, Lynda Kaye and Arthur F. Nelson Jr. which he adopted with love. This union was blessed with two children Cynthia Bess and Richard Allen. The couple celebrated 57 + years of marriage. In 1959 Dick and Arlois became the sole owners of the Diers Grocery Store. He was appointed postmaster of Gresham in April, 1968, and retired in January 1987.

He was active in the Gresham Community, serving on the school board, village council, cemetery board, community club, commander for the Legionnaires, and elder and trustee of the Gresham Presbyterian church, where he celebrated 70 years of continuous membership in 2004. He was a 60-year member of the Masonic Lodge #126 in Stromsburg, and was a 60-year member of the Davidson Neujahr Legion Post 13 in Gresham. He enjoyed sports of all kinds, especially when his children or grandchildren were playing. He was an avid Cubs fan. He enjoyed golfing, traveling, dancing and in later years enjoyed line dancing at York General Hospital wellness.

He was a devoted husband and Dad and enjoyed everyone he met. He leaves his family, Rich (Ann) Diers of Lincoln, Cindy (Neil) Butzke of Seward, and Lynda (Tim) Zieg of York, 6 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren, his brother, Harry of Sioux Falls South Dakota, and many friends. Preceding him in death are, wife, Arlois, son Arthur Nelson, his granddaughter Gina Zieg, and his sister-in-law Dottie Diers.

Memorial services were held Friday, May 25, 2007 at the First Presbyterian Church in Gresham with the Reverend Noel DeKalb officiating. Inurnment followed at the Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Gresham. Memorials may be directed to the family for later designation.