Richard S. "Rick" Denger

Richard S. “Rick” Denger, 45, a 23-year veteran of the Bettendorf Police Department and a resident of Davenport, Iowa died Saturday, October 30, 2004 at Genesis Medical Center, West Campus in Davenport following a courageous 18-month battle with cancer.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, November 3, 2004 at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, Davenport where he was a member. Burial will be in Davenport Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 2:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Tuesday at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home, Bettendorf, Iowa where a prayer service will be conducted at 2:00 P.M. Memorials may be made to the family for an educational fund for his daughters.
He was born January 16, 1959 in Davenport, the beloved son of Richard L. & Verna L. (Stewart) Denger and was a 1977 graduate of Davenport Central High School. On May 7, 1983, he was united in marriage to Betty L. Terveer in Rock Falls, Illinois.
Rick has served in many capacities in his law enforcement career since joining the department in 1981. He has been an investigator, evidence technician, arson investigator and Emergency Response Unit Member. He has also been a volunteer firefighter since 1995 and worked as a crew leader utilizing his EMT skills. Prior to his law enforcement & firefighter careers, he was employed at Adel Wholesalers in Bettendorf.
He was named Police Officer of the Year by the Bettendorf Jaycees and Optimist Club Officer of the Year. In addition, he was named Hometown Hero by the Moline Dispatch/Rock Island Argus.
His memberships included the Iowa State Police Association, the Iowa Tactical Officers Association and the International Association of Arson Investigators. Rick was involved in a multitude of community activities over the years, including the planning of the annual Senior Christmas Lights Tour.
Above all else, Rick’s family was the love of his life. He was closely involved with his daughters activities throughout the years and served as a coach for softball and basketball. He was also involved in numerous adult athletic activities and in his leisure time, enjoyed camping. Rick was loved by many and will always be remembered as a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, fellow officer and friend.
Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Betty; his daughters, Andrea, Amanda & Kaylee; his mother, Verna Denger of Davenport; his sisters Dawn Black of Defiance, Ohio & her children, Elizabeth, Tony & Alison and Beth Denger-Shaw of Davenport & her daughter, Sara; and many other beloved relatives and friends including Betty’s father, Cletus Terveer of Rock Falls, Illinois, her sisters, brothers, their spouses and their children.
Rick was preceded in death by his father, Richard L. Denger in 1993. and his mother-in-law, Marian Terveer.