Obituary of Tom Rieck

A Mass of Christian Burial for Tom Rieck, 69, of Spirit Lake, will be held Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 10:30 AM at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Burial will be at Pleasant View Cemetery in Hartley. Visitation will be on Friday, February 28th from 5:00-7:00PM at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Thomas Lee Rieck, the son of Alvin and Cleo (Crowl) Rieck, was born February 7, 1951 in Hartley, Iowa. He graduated from Hartley High School and was united in marriage to Kathy (Negus) on November 30, 1968. He continued his education at Northwestern College in Orange City where he also played football, winning the NAIA Championship in 1973. Tom was named First Team All American Defensive Tackle and in 1983 was inducted into the Northwestern Hall of Fame. Tom lived in Hartley where he farmed and raised Belgian horses. He served on the Hartley Melvin Sanborn School Board, enjoyed playing poker and taking road trips in his corvettes. After Tom and Kathy moved to East Lake Okoboji in 2011, he enjoyed scenic views of the lake watching wildlife; however, he would always need to go back to the farm to keep busy. His greatest joy was his family and watching his grandchildren in sporting events. Tom passed away February 26, 2020 at MercyOne Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa at sixty-nine years of age. He is survived by his wife, Kathy Rieck of Spirit Lake; son, Brian (Constance) Rieck of Taylorville, IL; son, Brent (Kim) Rieck of Hartley and daughter, Christina (Mike) Larson of Hartley; grandchildren, Jaylin, Kenna and Kyler Rieck, Anthony, Meghan, Brenden and Travis Larson; step-grandchildren, Brad Rasmussen and Stacia Johnson; six brothers and sisters, Connie Long of Littleton, CO, James (Kathy) Rieck of Primghar, IA, Roger (Kim) Rieck of Truman, MN, Bev (Don) Reiman of Geneva, NE, Patty (Dean) Houser of Dell Rapids, SD and Debbie (Tracy) Gathman of Monroe, IA; sister-in-law, Nancy (John) Long of Milford, IA and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Alvin and Cleo Rieck; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Darrell and Mary Negus; and an infant daughter.