Richard Phelps

Richard Anthony "Dick" Phelps was born on March 23, 1940 in Plover, Wisconsin to parents Lloyd and Clara Phelps. Dick loved music all his life. He began with piano lessons, later played the clarinet and then played the saxophone. He was part of a band called "The Fury's" in high school, in the mid 1960's he was in a band called "The Lion and the Laymen" and through the 1980's played in a band called "Justus". As a boy, Dick won an essay contest at 12 years old and was a member of the Boy Scouts. He enjoyed fishing with his grandfather, father, brother and later in life his children. He loved astronomy and as a teen in 1959 was a member of a Rocket Club that launched a rocket that reached nearly 5,000 feet. Dick worked for JC Penney's for over 30 years and retired in the late 1990's. At JC Penney's, he was known as "The Professor" for his brilliance, knowledge and desire to share his expertise. He always loved strategy games such as GO, Chess, Bridge and he was a member of the "Skip Bo gang" of Plano. Dick also enjoyed cooking and many of his recipes have appeared in church cookbooks. On a personal side, Dick was married in 1965 and had four children with Patricia. They divorced in 1989 and he married Penni in 1990. After Dick retired he always said that he couldn't figure out how he had time to work because he had so many other interests. Dick was also a member of OA (Overeaters Anonymus) for over 33 years. Dick passed away on December 11, 2013 in Plano, Texas. He is survived by his wife Penni, children Ivy Phelps-Sturgen, Sam Phelps, Claire Phelps Layton and husband Lee, Lloyd Phelps and his wife Kate, grandchildren Angel Sturgen, Will Layton, Owen Phelps, Grant Phelps, brother Jim "Chip" Phelps, many loving nieces, nephews, cousins and wonderful friends.
The family will greet friends at a visitation from 10:00 - 11:00 AM Saturday, December 14, 2013 at Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church, 1914 Ridgeview Drive, Allen, Texas 75013 followed by A Mass of the Resurrection at 11:00 AM at Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church. A reception will follow.