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Richard Gabriel Strock (Strzok), 77, died Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008, at home in Tucson, Ariz., due to terminal pancreatic cancer disease.
Born to Michael and Josephine Strzok on May 26, 1930, at the Strzok homestead in the Town of Withee, Clark County, Wis., Richard was the eldest of 11 children.
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Richard attended Public Grade School in Gilman, Wis. From 1945-1949, he attended Campion Jesuit High School, Prairie Du Chien, Wis. Richard graduated from St. Thomas College in St. Paul, Minn., in 1952 and went on to attend Medical School at the University of Loyola, Chicago, Ill.
His studies were interrupted after one year when he volunteered for the U.S. Army.
Following a three-year tour of duty from 1953 to 1956 that took him to assignments in the United States and Germany, Richard returned to Wisconsin to attend dental school at Marquette University, Milwaukee, from 1956-1960.
Upon graduation, Richard accepted a commission in the U.S. Army Dental Corps and completed his residency at Walter Reed Army Hospital, specializing in fixed prosthodontics.
Serving on active duty for 26 years with tours of duty in Washington, D.C., Washington state, Hawaii, Germany and Arizona, Richard retired from Fort Huachuca in 1979 with the rank of full colonel.
Upon retirement, he received the prestigious Legion of Merit award for exemplary service.
On Aug. 25, 1956, Richard married Dolores Dietzler in Gilman, Wis. They had one daughter, Mary Katherine. Dolores died Sept. 27, 1971. Richard remarried Jimmie Stone Williamson on Sept. 2, 1977, at Fort Huachuca. Jimmie brought into the family a daughter, Danyalle, and a niece, Donetta. Together, Richard and Jimmie have two children, Richard II and Kimberly.
Richard is survived by his wife, Jimmie, of Arizona; children Mary Katherine (Clay) Donnigan, Germany, Donetta (Dan) Fricke of California, Danyalle (Bryan) Evans of Texas, Richard II (Jill) of Texas and Kimberly of Arizona; and grandchildren, Kayla and Peyton Evans, Madeleine and Andrew Strock; and siblings, Michael (Bev) Strzok of Indiana, Peter (Sue) Strzok of Wisconsin, Christine (Rocky) Todd of Wisconsin, James Strzok of Africa, David Strzok of Wisconsin, Julianne (Buddy) Harris of Africa, Maryann Strzok of Wisconsin, Stephanie (Kim) Strzok-Scheidegger of Wisconsin, Lad (Jenny) Strzok of Arizona, and Elizabeth Strzok of Colorado; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Richard was a gentle man known for his love of storytelling, his inability to pass up a good bargain, and his zest for driving cars fast. He liked a good margarita and dancing the polka. In his twilight years, Richard reveled in working in his garden and expanding the family koi pond. He enjoyed his children, grandchildren and visits from friends and relatives.
