Richard Dean Close was born in Littleton, IA on February 12, 1946, the youngest of thirteen children of Edwin Dennis and Ellen Marie (Phelps) Close. He graduated from the Vinton High School in 1964 and he had an outstanding wrestling record there. He enlisted in United States Navy after high school and faithfully served on the USS Kersarge during the Vietnam War before being honorably discharged in 1968. On February 14, 1970, Dick was united in marriage to Eileen Derby and the couple later divorced. He then spent eight years serving in the Iowa National Guard. He had been employed at several packing plants before they had to close. Dick then attended Texas A & M and later Mississippi State University with a major in food science. He accepted a position with USDA in the food safety inspection system at the IBP plant in Waterloo before coming to Marshalltown plant in 1990 where he was employed for 25 years. On May 5, 1995, he was united in marriage to Connie (Staack) Barker at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshalltown. Dick was especially fond of their precious Shelties: Lizzie Anne and the late Zoee and Sugar Belle.

Left to cherish his memory is his wife, Connie; his children: Kristine Brownlee, Ashlee (Corey) Stupp, Kelly King, Kirk Close and Leslie Renfroe; his grandchildren: Ricky King, Crystal Hein, James Tunnell II, Ryan (Canaan) Tunnell, Zander Stupp, Emma Stupp, Tyler Renfroe and Madison Dahl; his great grandchildren: Jada Forbes-Tunnell, Eden Tunnell, Ezra Faith-Tunnell and soon to be, James Richard Tunnell; brother, Allan Close and three sisters: Eileen Maines, Dorothy Schrader and Kate Dickerson.

In eternal life, Dick is reunited with his parents; his son, Kevin Close; his brothers: John, Glen, Walt, and Lloyd Close and his sisters: Mary Graves, Anna McKeeman, Donna Hansen and Ella Mae Close.