Richard Strombeck

Richard (Dick) Henry Strombeck, beloved patriarch, passed away on November 29, 2017 at the age of 84. He was the third and youngest son of Paul and Agnes Strombeck, who emigrated from Sweden. He met and married Janet Martell in 1952 at the age of 19. They were married for 65 years and had six children. Dick is survived by his wife Janet, daughters Chris (Frank) Both, Karen (Bob) Anderson, Kathy (Tom) DeVoss, Ingrid Knipplemeyer, and sons Tom (Karin) and Eric, along with 16 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, brother Don (Liz), and many nieces and nephews. Dick was a good example of the “can do” mentality. He was both creative and productive and instilled an appreciation for both in his children. He appreciated the arts and loved music, and enjoyed listening to the original vinyl records while playing card and board games with his wife, children and grandchildren. His entrepreneurial spirit founded two companies. The first was Anchor Coatings in Waukesha, co-founded with his brother Paul. After twenty one years he sold the business and he and Janet started Sun Designs in Oconomowoc. When they finally retired he took up cooking, delighting family members with his tasty experiments and making large care packages full of treats with Janet to give the family at Christmastime. Dick was generous of heart and mind. His positive outlook on life was tested often with six children, but didn’t fail him. He remained a steadfast source of support, encouragement and love for every family member. Continuing until the time of his death, he was very much involved with his family. His memory for, and interest in, the important details of everyone’s daily life was impressive. He lived his life believing you could overcome anything with hard work, prayer and love. He taught his children a great love of being on, in and around the water, teaching them how to swim and sail in the waters surrounding Door County and building several large sailboats with help from them and his wife. Dick was gracious in life and gracious in death, never complaining or wanting to talk about himself, and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him. A special thanks to the DaVita Dialysis Center and Angelsgrace Hospice for their kindness and care at the end of his life.