Address
Locke on 4th
1519 W 4th St.
Waterloo, IA 50702
Randy L. Harp, 77, of Waterloo, died at his home with family on Thursday, February 26, 2026. He was born November 17, 1948, son of Lloyd C. and Margaret M. (Schmitt) Harp Jr. He graduated from West High School in 1967. He married Jan C. Yocherer on February 28, 1981, in Denver, CO.
Randy worked as a carpenter in Colorado, worked on the Eisenhower Tunnel, 16th St. Mall and the DIA Airport. After moving back to Iowa, he worked at the Isle of Capril Casino in the maintenance dept. In his spare time, Randy loved to play pool, and craft furniture for his family.
He is survived by his wife, Jan Harp of Waterloo; his son, Jonathan Harp of Frisco, CO.; granddaughter, Chloe (Cade) Harp of Houston, TX; his mother, Margaret M. Harp of Waterloo; two brothers, Charles (Virginia) Harp, and Rod (Tracey) Harp both of Waterloo.
Randy is preceded in death by his dad; brother, Steven Harp; and sister, Peggy E. Bullerman.
Celebration of life gathering will be 5:00 to 7:00 pm Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at Locke at Tower Park, 4140 Kimball Avenue, Waterloo.
Memorials are directed to the family.
Locke at Tower Park is assisting the family, 319-233-3146.
Celebration of Life
March 3, 2026
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Locke at Tower Park
4140 Kimball Ave., Waterloo, IA
Our deepest condolences to your family.
My condolences to the family. I went to school with Randy and he was always such a nice guy. My thoughts and prayers to you all.
I met Randy Harp — “Curley” — in the 7th grade. From that day on, we were friends. What started out as two kids hanging around together turned into a lifelong friendship built on a lot of miles, a little bit of trouble, and a whole lot of memories.
In high school, Curley was always in great shape and part of championship wrestling teams at West High. He was competitive and driven, but what he really loved was speed. Cars, motorcycles — if it went fast, he was interested. That’s just who he was. He built a hot rod that honestly scared the daylights out of me. Every time I went over to his place, he’d be out in the garage working on something. Tearing it down, tuning it up, figuring out how to make it better. He didn’t just mess around with engines — he knew what he was doing, and he took pride in it.
In our twenties, we reconnected in Colorado and picked up right where we left off. We had raced bikes in high school, and we kept right on racing in Colorado. Some things never change.
In 1977, Randy stood next to me as my best man at my wedding in Georgetown, Colorado. And what a reception that was. We had a blast. A lot of laughter, a lot of stories, and a day I’ll never forget. Having him there meant more to me than I probably ever told him.
Curley wasn’t just about fast machines. He was a smart guy and an incredibly skilled carpenter. He worked for ISEC, one of the top architectural finish contractors in the country. Courthouses, airports, colleges — his work is in buildings all over this nation. I saw some of the finish work he did for a federal judge in Denver, and it was beautiful. Precise and clean. He did things the right way.
When I think about Randy, I think about loyalty, hard work, laughter, and living life wide open. He stayed in shape, stayed busy, and always had something going. He built things. He fixed things. He showed up.
My heart goes out to Jan, Jonathan, his brothers, and his mom. I’m grateful I got to call him my friend for all these years.
RIP Curley — we sure had some great times.
I first met Randy in 4th grade at Kittrell Elementary. We went.to school together all the way through high school. We were good friends, especially in grade school and junior high, and then drifted apart. We developed different friends and interests as often happens. When Randy moved back from Colorado we reconnected here there. I lived on Easton Avenue for 25 years, less than a block from Lloyd and the family. When out for a walk I would stop and talk to Lloyd and he always updated me his family. The whole Harp family were and are just great people. I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Randy. Prayers to the entire family.
My deepest sympathy to Randy’s wife and family. RIP.