Richard Deyo left Ames locals with ‘ripple effect’ of fond memories
At first glance, Richard Deyo was an unlikely community icon.
He could often be found opening the door for people at the Ames City Hall, wearing a dress or a Santa Claus costume, or even a T-shirt with a saying and quirky spelling like “Happyness is Important.” Although he struggled with mental illness, Deyo’s gentle nature and openness encouraged everyone he met to “have the best day ever.”
A big guy with a beard and long hair, he frequently recited poetry, sang songs and played the harmonica in public. He didn’t drive and could commonly be seen walking in the downtown Ames area, where he lived in an apartment nearby.
Nearly everyone has a Richard Deyo story.
His death by natural causes on Jan. 13 created an outpouring of memorials and social media comments shining a light on the lasting impact Deyo left on the Ames community.
A celebration of Deyo’s life will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Reiman Gardens. Visitation will be held at 9 a.m. The event will be an informal gathering where guests are encouraged to wear the buttons and T-shirts they received as gifts from Deyo over the years.
Family and friends will distribute Deyo’s collection of T-shirts and buttons on Saturday, which he bought to hand out to people in the community.
The service will be livestreamed via the Ames Monument & Cremation Center Facebook page.
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‘People are going to be affected’ when you’re gone
Richard Deyo’s sister, Linda Deyo, knew her oldest sibling had created something special when she visited Ames a few years ago.
In his youth, growing up in Des Moines and attending Roosevelt High School, her brother had been a loner.
Linda Deyo came to Ames from South Carolina two years ago after the death of their mother. The siblings took a tour of Ames, hitting some of Richard Deyo’s favorite destinations.
“Richy and I went to Roosevelt Summer Sundays concert. We went to the poetry slam. We went out to breakfast and had big pancakes at The Grove,” Linda said.
They visited Wheatsfield Co-op, the farmers’ market and City Hall.
Everywhere they went, Richard Deyo was proud to introduce his sister. He told them how when she went to Africa with the Peace Corps. It was a blip on the radar of her life, Linda Deyo said, but it meant the world to her big brother.
“After two or three days, I said, ‘Richy, if anything ever happens to you, this whole town is going to be affected. It will be a ripple effect,’” Linda Deyo said during a telephone interview with the Ames Tribune. “From the post office to coffee shops to restaurants, people are going to be affected. I don’t know if he believed me though.”
When Linda Deyo saw a thoughtful Facebook post by Todd Hageman of Ames, she knew her prediction was right.
“I found out that he and I shared a birthday, and after that, we would exchange some small token on our special day,” Hageman wrote. “One year his gift to me was a song he’d written, and he sang it to me right there on the street where I’d bumped into him. I gave him the harmonicas he often played, loudly and to no discernable melody, as he sat on a bench downtown.”
Hundreds of people were reacting to Hageman’s post.
That’s when Linda Deyo realized how important her brother had become. She phoned their brother Phil Deyo in Atlanta to discuss planning an event.
“He touched the community. We have to do something,” Linda remembers telling Phil Deyo. “The outpouring is amazing — just amazing.”
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Ames and ISU were special to Richard Deyo
Born May 16, 1956, Richard was the oldest of five kids born to Richard E. Deyo and SaLoma Deyo in Evanston, Illinois. He attended Iowa State University for a couple of years after graduating from high school. Although he didn’t get his college diploma, it was this experience that initially made Ames and ISU special to him, Linda Deyo said.
Richard Deyo traveled the world for many years, walking and hitchhiking across the U.S. and Canada and riding trains in Europe. For several years, his home was a tent outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he “lived off the land,” his sister said.
Richard Deyo never learned to drive and didn’t have a telephone. He preferred walking and having face-to-face conversations. He also corresponded with his family with letters, and many of those letters are stashed in his apartment.
Richard moved back to Ames in the mid-1990s and found his place in the world.
“He expressed his deepest emotions, challenges, thoughts, dreams and desires through poetry and music. He longed for peace, and he longed for love,” Linda wrote in his obituary. “He was never married and had no children, despite what he may have told you.”
Richard Deyo’s love of playing Santa started at a young age
Along with Linda and Phil, Richard also grew up with brothers Tom and Wally, both of whom preceded him in death.
Each year at Christmas, the Deyo kids would take turns playing the part of Santa Claus, passing out all of the presents under the tree.
“I think that was one of the joys of his life, that he enjoyed playing Santa,” Linda Deyo said. “He really enjoyed being able to give the gifts to his siblings.”
Things weren’t always easy. Richard Deyo’s mental illness often created distance between him and his family members.
“Christmas was a time where he was given the opportunity to be a part of the family and do something enjoyable,” his sister said. “Long before it became popular for guys to dress as Santa, Richy was doing Santa.”
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‘Let us be naked’ was a common campaign
Richard Deyo loved to open the door for people at City Hall. He was also a regular at city council meetings, where he was often a part of the public forum.
His comments were far-ranging, but often involved a discussion of nudity. He was a naturalist and questioned city officials with a “Let us be naked” stance.
At the Jan. 13 Ames City Council meeting, the first since Richard’s passing, Mayor John Haila was visibly emotional prior to the public forum as he talked about the late Deyo.
“Richard was one of the more colorful Ames residents, and he and I, at times, would not necessarily see eye-to-eye,” Haila said. “But I’m going to honestly miss him saying ‘Have the greatest day’ as I leave City Hall.”
The mayor regularly allowed Richard Deyo to speak for 70 seconds at every public forum. On Jan. 13, Haila set his timer and offered that as a moment of silence in Deyo’s memory.
A sign display on the bench in front of City Hall on Clark and 6th Street Crossing Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Ames, Iowa.
T-shirts and memorial bench honor Richard Deyo
The stories of how Richard Deyo spread peace and love kept coming in the ensuing days after his death. He was a recognizable figure throughout the community who was passionate about the things he believed in.
“There are no words to adequately describe who Richard Deyo was, or what he meant to the Ames community,” Jackie Elliott of Ames wrote on the fundraising profile on spotfund.com aimed at having a memorial bench at City Hall. “The outpouring of love on social media following his death and the many stories of how his love and kindness touched so many lives in our community has been beautiful.
“This shared grief and gratitude reflect an undeniable truth: Richard’s presence was a miracle for our town.”
Kori Heuss, owner of Heuss Printing, was one of many who were inspired by Richard Deyo. She created a fundraiser to sell T-shirts in Deyo’s honor. She’s working with Linda to organize the celebration of life at Reiman Gardens.
Extra funds raised from the projects will be donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Central Iowa.
Raygun has also created a T-shirt honoring Richard, featuring his “Have the greatest day ever” motto. Proceeds from the shirt will also benefit NAMI.
‘It could only have happened in Ames’
As Ames locals responded with comments and shared memories of Richard Deyo online, his sister was struck by the overwhelming outpouring. Words like icon and kindness.
On Jan. 13, Liz Grafton-Robertson posted “Richard is at peace.” More than 300 people commented on the post while more than 1,000 responded with an emoji.
Linda Deyo was struck that people immediately knew who the post was about.
“It’s like it was Beyonce or someone famous,” she said. “He was known by his first name.”
Linda Deyo credits entities like Ames police, city officials, mental health care workers and Richard’s landlord, Hunziker Realty, for making it possible for him to flourish.
And she credits the people of Ames for welcoming the gentle, kind, loving being. Accepting him in spite of, or perhaps of, his differences allowed Richard Deyo to make Ames his true home.
“It could only have happened in Ames,” Linda Deyo said. The community was exactly what he needed. Exactly what he needed in his life.”
Ronna Faaborg covers business and the arts for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: How this Ames man left a lasting impact on the community
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