Richard E. Brei

Richard E. Brei, 95, of Bettendorf, Iowa, passed away Friday, May 29, 2026, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf.

Richard was born in Louisa county, near Grandview, IA, the 4th of 7 children. He attended a one-room school until his parents moved their family to Muscatine in 1940. In 1948, Richard enlisted in the US Army and served in the occupation of West Germany until 1952. He was attached to the 7th Army, 54th Engineering Battalion, Company C, where he became a demolitions expert. In 1951, the Army loaned him to the Navy for the Rhine River Patrol, based near Wiesbaden, a 3-month posting. After his Army discharge, Richard began working for the Bendix Corporation, where he met Karen Helgason. They married in 1954 and remained happily married for almost 70 years. Their daughter Theresa was born in 1956.

Richard worked as a contract administrator for Bendix, retiring in 1982. He and Karen moved to Chicago, where he sold real estate and eventually became a broker. Ten years later, they moved to southeast Michigan. Richard found a job as a maintenance manager for St. Joseph Station, an office building in South Bend, IN.

After 10 years in Michigan, Richard and Karen moved back to the Quad Cities area, finally settling in Bettendorf to be near their daughter and son-in-law.

Karen and Richard loved to travel, ride bicycles, play cribbage and Scrabble, and remodel houses.

Richard was a loving, intuitive husband and father. He loved nature and had compassion for all living things. He is survived by his daughter, Theresa (Brei) Johnson, his son-in-law, Robin Johnson, his brother, Kenneth Brei, and many nieces and nephews. Richard was preceded in death by his parents, Allie Brei and Theresa (Vance) Brei, wife, Karen (Helgason) Brei, brothers, Ronald and Henry Brei, sisters, Marilyn (Brei) Weikert, Gladys Brei, and Anna (Brei) Rittenhouse.

Cremation will take place at Trimble Crematory, Moline, under the direction of the Cremation Society of the Quad Cities.

Condolences may be shared at CremationQC.com.