Richard Jerome Walls age 91, a resident of Geneva, IL went to be with the Lord on January 18, 2023 after a brief battle with cancer. He was born on October 1, 1931 to Daniel Wheatley Wilson Walls and Edna Matilda Walls in Binghamton, NY.

Richard grew up on a farm about 9 miles outside of Binghamton, NY where he attended a one room schoolhouse. He graduated from Binghamton North High school in 1949. Ever the adventurer, he hitchhiked his way to Wheaton College where he met Marjorie Clark and graduated in 1954. They were married on August 27, 1954 and moved to Geneva in 1956. Once established in Geneva, they joined First Baptist Church of Geneva that was only a few blocks from their apartment at the time. They were both very active members in the church serving as a deacon and on many of their boards throughout his life. He was also active in city government having been elected in 1967, as an alderman of the 2nd Ward, a role he served for 8 years. Following this he served on the Geneva Public Library board for many years.

Richard and Marjorie moved to Geneva where he opened Dick's Texaco station at the corner of State and Fourth in Geneva. Eventually he sold Texaco to pursue a successful career in plastics. After serving as President at Arrem Plastics in Addison, IL for many years, he purchased a plastics company in North Carolina. He commuted to North Carolina for several years and finding that they did not having the technology for which he had purchased it, he closed down the operation in 1982. Using technology and equipment developed in collaboration with his son Tim in the Walls's family garage, he and Tim co-founded Polytech Industries, which was run out of a small corner in a dear friend's factory in Addison, IL. After much hard work from his Polytech family and several moves along the way Polytech built their current building in 1996, in Saint Charles, IL.

Richard was remarried on July 8, 2017 to his current wife Carmine Samples in Geneva Illinois.

Richard is survived by his current wife of 5 1⁄2 years, Carmine; his three children, David (Mary Ann) Walls of Naperville, Timothy (Wilma) Walls of St. Charles, and Julie (David) Quandt of Grayslake, eight grandchildren, Matthew (Mako), Marc (Emily) and Rachel Walls, Samantha Hartnett (Patrick), Brennan and Kathleen Walls, and Lura Girmscheid (John) and Andy Quandt, five great-grandchildren, Taiga, Ricky, Kokona Roxanna, Tommy and Piper, and many nieces and nephews as well as Carmine's sons, Todd (Kathy) Canon, Joel (Heather) Canon, and their daughter Joy Canon.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Marjorie (d.2010) his parents, two sisters and two brothers and three grandchildren.

A visitation will be held on Friday, February 17, from 3-8 P.M. at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., in Wheaton, IL. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 18, at 11:30 A.M. at Chapelstreet Church (South St Campus), 2300 South Street, Geneva, IL 60134. Close friends are welcome to join the family for a graveside service on Saturday at 10 A.M. at Wheaton Cemetery.

In his memory, in lieu of flowers memorial gifts may be directed to The International Justice Mission ( www.ijm.org ) P.O. Box 96961, Washington D.C. 20090-6961, a Christian organization whose ministry is to focus on slave trafficking throughout the world.