Richard Pertzborn

To live stream the funeral Mass click the "Tribute Wall" tab above and then click watch now on the "Live Webcast" Richard J. Pertzborn, 93, of Ankeny, Iowa, died due to complications of Parkinson’s disease on December 30th, 2020. A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, January 7 at 12:00 pm, with visitation starting at 11:00 am at All Saints Catholic Church, Des Moines, Iowa. A private burial will be at Glendale Cemetery. Richard was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated from Dowling High School in 1945. While attending Dowling he enjoyed playing sports. He was a standout catcher on the baseball team which led to an invitation to tryout with the St. Louis Cardinals Farm Team. He put his baseball career on hold to serve his country and joined the United States Marine Corps serving stateside in World War II and the Korean War. After serving his country he pursued his dream of playing baseball professionally and signed with the NY Yankees. He played with the KMO league (Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma). Unfortunately, a shoulder injury ended his baseball career. In 1948 he married the love of his life, Maryann Fehn. They built their home in Ankeny, Iowa, where they raised nine children. Richard became a successful independent insurance agent, earning numerous professional achievements. It’s easy to see why he was so successful, he was a hardworking, dedicated, trustworthy, outgoing man who enjoyed talking with anyone. Richard was involved in several organizations and served on many boards. He was the first Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus at Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Church in Ankeny, Iowa. He also served on boards with the Serra Club, Colfax Interfaith Spiritual Center and Dowling High School. Richard was a loving husband, an amazing father, grandfather, and great grandfather. He coached many of his kid’s sports teams and was a very involved father in all their activities. Richard became an avid runner later in life. He could run for miles and miles which led to participating in many marathons around the world. He also enjoyed participating in the Iowa Senior Games for many years. Richard is survived by four daughters Pam Pertzborn of Waukee, Sue Weed of Des Moines, Mindy Pertzborn of Urbandale and Cris (Jon) Pertzborn-Klatt of Ankeny, along with five sons Rick (Judy) of West Des Moines, Mike (Roxi) of Storm Lake, Tim (Barb) of Des Moines, Bob (Kathy) of Ankeny and Tom (Cindy) of Dallas, Texas; in addition to 25 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Maryann, a great grandson, son-in-law, two sisters, and parents. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to: All Saints Catholic Church, 650 NE 52nd Ave., Des Moines, Iowa 50313 Scottish Rite Park Attn: Health Care Center: 2909 Woodland Ave., Des Moines, Iowa 50312 Dowling Catholic High School for Scholarships: 1400 Buffalo Road, West Des Moines, Iowa 50265. The service will be live streamed at www.caldwellparissh.com