Richard Navedo

Richard Navedo

Hiawatha

Richard Navedo, 73, a longtime resident of Hiawatha, Iowa, passed away May 31, 2023, at his home. He was born in Manhattan, New York City, on July 26, 1949, and attended and graduated from Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa, on Feb. 10, 1973, with a BA degree. While at Parsons College he was a member of the OMIGRON Honorary Society, the MONXHEAD Honorary Society, the GREEN KEY Honorary Society, the GOLD KEY Honorary Society, the Dean’s List of Honor Students in recognition of outstanding academic achievement, and received a scholarship award in recognition of academic achievement in Spanish.

Richard Navedo was a U.S. Army Veteran; enlisted on Sept. 17, 1968, fought in the Vietnam War and was in Company C Second Battalion First Brigade. He trained at the U.S. Army School Training Center in Fort Gordon, Ga. Richard Navedo was a sharpshooter and paratrooper in Vietnam whose plane was shot down during the war. He had also been a high school math and Spanish teacher in Ottumwa, a King Crab fisherman in Alaska, a U.S. marshal, a radiation inspection specialist, security officer, did undercover work in the Cedar Rapids area, was a member of The American Legion, and was involved as a volunteer in several organizations, such as The Red Cross as a teenager, St. Luke’s Hospital in NYC, and in the Hiawatha Freedom Foundation.

Richard Navedo never married or had any children, but his soulmate of almost 50 years was Laura K. Ballew who was born on April 14, 1953, in Iowa, and passed away on Nov. 5, 2021. She had worked for many years as a U.S. Judicial Probation Officer. Our family loved “Kathy” very much!

Richard Navedo will always be remembered as a “Good guy” who loved to tell stories and jokes, and spent countless hours volunteering throughout his life. He is survived by his only sibling, Dr. Betty Rose Navedo Barsa, who lives in New Jersey.