Richard "Dick" E. Fallow

Richard “Dick” E. Fallow, 92, of Davenport died on Saturday, April 13, 2013 at his residence surrounded by his family. Per his wishes, his body was donated to the University of Iowa, Department of Anatomy, to further medical and scientific research. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:30 p.m., on Saturday, April 27, 2013, at the Plumbers & Pipefitters Hall, 4600 46th Ave., Rock Island, IL 61201. A time of fellowship with the family will be held immediately following the service until 4:30 p.m. Cunnick-Collins Mortuary assisted the family with arrangements. Richard Everett Fallow was born on August 23, 1920, in Hartford, CT, and was the son of Everett and Gladys (Bennett) Fallow. It was in 1937, while on a youth hostel bicycle trip to Europe, Dick’s life would be changed forever by the poverty and war that he witnessed firsthand. He graduated from Amherst College in 1942. He then joined the American Field Service during World War II and served as an ambulance driver for two years. Dick was assigned to the 8th British Army in North Africa. While volunteering for the AFS, he witnessed the poor treatment and living conditions that the Jewish population faced. Upon returning home, Dick began working for the United Electrical and Radio Workers Union. He fought for workers’ rights and continued to organize for fair and equal business laws for employees which eventually led him to Sioux County, Iowa. It was there that he met his wife Wilhelmina “Mickey” DeVries. In 1951, they were united in marriage. They moved to Davenport in 1952 and started their family, which today includes three daughters. Dick continued to be active with the labor unions and joined the staff of the ACL-CIO serving as an area director of the Committee on Political Education (COPE). His contributions to the workforce were exemplary, always conscious of the well being of workers and their families, and striving constantly to improve the laws which protected the American worker. Dick officially retired in 1988 from COPE. At 87 years old he was awarded with the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the East Central Iowa-Northwestern Illinois AFL-CIO Hall of Fame. He continued to encourage others to work towards the ultimate goal of making the United States a better place to live and work. Dick had a great compassion towards society as a whole, and he passed those same values on to his children and grandchildren. He will be lovingly remembered as not only a pioneer activist for the labor movement, but also as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. Dick was a musician, photographer, and organic gardener. He was a member of the Quad City Regional Musician’s Union-Local 67, National Alliance of Retired Americans, Progressive Action for the Common Good, along with other long-standing associations through the National Federation of Labor. Those left to honor his memory are his three Daughters: Jean (Michael deBlois) Fallow of Arlington, VA, Bobbie (Skeet) Fersch of Davenport, Renee (Ray) Conklin of Moline, IL; 4 Grandchildren: Aaron (Tracy) Klugger, Trey Fersch, Matt (Courtney) Conklin, Alissa (Miguel Bermeo) Conklin; and one Great-Grandson: Lucca Bermeo. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Mickey, in 1998; his brother, Robert Fallow; and his sister, Muriel Helinsky. Memorials may be directed to Winnie’s Place, Progressive Action for the Common Good, or to Riverbend Food Bank.