Richard has a long history of community service, having been a member of the Aurora, Iowa City Council for eight years and mayor for 28 years. He has also volunteered for a number of organizations including, board member for East Buchanan Dollars for Scholars, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Aurora Historical Society, local and state PTA boards and various county boards. After living and owning a business in Aurora for 43 years, he and his wife Barb moved to Ames in 2018. They have four adult children, Gretchen (Mike) Mosher of Ames, Joanne (Beany) Bode of Algona, David and Heidi of Ames, Stephanie and Eric Schares of Ames, and nine grandchildren, Avery, Mosher, Hollis, Violet, Henry, Rose, Ruby, June, and Aurora Louise