Richard Franklin Sorrels

Richard Sorrels was born at home in Boone County, Missouri on March 3, 1931 to Melvin H. Sorrels and Mary Isabelle Pierce Sorrels. Richard grew up in a close-knit, hard-working family that was involved in many major areas of development in Boone County. Richard’s father first began a garage business near Sexton and Old Highway 40. When Melvin’s brother-in-law passed away, Richard’s parents then moved to his farm and started doing custom farm work for other farmers, such as binding corn or grain and filling silos. It was in this farm house that Richard was born. During World War II, Melvin helped the war cause at home, as most farmers with families were asked to do. At this time, Melvin also bought a Caterpillar and began an excavating business. Eventually the business expanded into doing excavation and auto parts. Richard took over the excavation business with his older brother, Walter, taking the auto parts business.

Following his educational years in Columbia at University High, Hickman High School and M.U., Richard was drafted during the Korean War and served in the United States Army as a Corporal in a tank and armor unit. He specialized in mechanical work on tanks while stationed in Germany. In 1955 Richard married Joan Trower. As they began their lives together, soon their family grew to include their daughter Laura and two sons, Richard II and Steven.

Richard went into business with his father and helped to expand the Sorrels & Sons Excavation business. The company performed excavation work statewide and were even selected to move homes out of the way to prepare for the construction of Interstate 70. Their own property was affected, and his brother’s salvage yard was relocated where the overpass known as Sorrels Overpass is located just west of Stadium Boulevard.

Richard would come to be known as the one of the best crane operators in the state of Missouri and his business began to specialize in crane work. Several mechanical engineering companies and large construction companies considered him to be their first choice to perform crane work because of his ethics and the talent he possessed for accuracy and precision in order to complete very difficult and challenging jobs.

Bill Wulff, a long-time friend, stated that he called on Richard numerous times when managing construction on the Boone County History Museum and Culture Center. Richard performed all of the crane work on the museum, never once charging for his equipment or time. Richard also helped move the Easley Store with others to the Boone County Historical show grounds.

Another local historical building Richard worked on was the Missouri Theatre originally built in 1928. Many years ago when the exterior of the Missouri Theatre was deteriorating, Richard was called upon to remove large concrete urns from on top of the building because they were deteriorating and there was concern they would topple and fall, possibly injuring pedestrians. Years later, in 2007 when remodeling began on the theatre; once again Richard was called on to assist with the project. Fortunately he had held on to one of the urns and it was used to create a new mold so new urns could be made. When the time arrived, Richard was the crane operator called on to place the new urns back on top of the eighty year old theatre, once again donating his equipment, time and talent for the love of history and community!

Although Richard’s career has always kept him extremely busy, he has still managed to make time to volunteer. Not only in events that have been exciting and important to him, but to thousands of others. Over fifty-five years ago, Richard helped form the Missouri River Valley Steam Engine Association in Boonville, Missouri. In 2002, a retired Richard borrowed and operated equipment to help move the club to its current location in Booneville from the Boone County Fair Grounds.

One of the major annual events hosted by the association is the Back to the Farm Steam Engine Show, held the weekend after Labor Day at the Brady Showgrounds off of I-70 at the Woolridge exit. The show is attended by thousands that are treated to the experiences surrounding daily farm life from the turn of the 20th century through the mid-1900’s. Hundreds of tractors of all shapes and sizes are on display and Richard has always been there to lend assistance to anyone who may need help working on their equipment, as well as displaying and teaching attendees about different types of gas engines. You may have seen him sweating and running the 34,000-pound Fairbanks Morris diesel engine at the show. It originally ran a generator for electricity. Richard also had to move this 34,000-pound engine three or four times with his crane before they got it running for the show.

Richard served as the 2018 Grand Marshall for the annual event, riding in his 1920 Dodge Brother’s touring car. Throughout the years, he has shared his 1915 International Harvester farm truck, 1924 Model T pick-up with wood bed, 1928 Chevy flatbed farm truck, 1929 Chevy hand-crank chrome-plated wrecker, 1926 Harley Davidson, and various fly-wheel engines.

For years, Richard would also travel to the Rollag, Minnesota Steam Show and participate in the annual Steam Thrashers Reunion, where over 80,000 visitors were hosted during the four-day event. While there he would display his antique vehicles and demo gas engines. He was also called on to assist and lend his expertise with other exhibitors during the show, like running a 1930s Caterpillar Tractor 60 for a friend.

The annual Heritage Festival in Columbia, Missouri is another major event where Richard would show up with one of his many antique vehicles, usually his 1915 International pickup or his old Chevy 1928 Flatbed truck loaded with antique tools, and stand all day long visiting with thousands of children and adults explaining the tools to them and letting them look through the truck. He would also assist his good friend Bill Wulff running an antique grinder and passing out cups of ground corn to children so they could feed the animals in the petting zoo by the Maplewood barn.

Richard was fortunate to be married to a woman who found a way to enjoy all of these activities with him and find a place where her talents were also needed so they could enjoy these activities together. Richard was right there to support his wife, Joan, in many of her activities in organizations, like the Daughters of the American Revolution. When she served as the Columbian Chapter Regent and then as the Missouri State Society DAR curator for their headquarters at Roslyn Heights in Boonville, Richard was there supporting her. He supported Joan through cancer treatments and a broken ankle requiring a wheelchair, making constant trips with her to help take care of the mansion, as well as completing repairs and upkeep for the building. Richard and Joan were committed to keeping Roslyn Heights original, such as finding and laboring to retrieve and install an original chandelier to Roslyn Heights. Roslyn Heights was also originally decorated for the Christmas holidays, and hosted various other special events, such as showers and weddings. Richard was a member of the M. Graham Clark SAR Chapter.

Richard was a lifelong member of the First Baptist Church, where his parents had been married. He has volunteered to be a “Grandparent” for those in need during Grandparents’ Day at the daycare and has cleaned gutters and trimmed trees for the church. He volunteered once a month as a greeter on Sundays. Since he cannot carry a tune like his wife Joan, he is banned from the choir and bells.

A visitation for Richard will be held Friday, March 3, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Memorial Funeral Home/Columbia, 1217 Business Loop 70 W, Columbia, Missouri 65202, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 AM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialfuneralhomeandcemetery.com for the Sorrels family.