Richard “Dick” D. May, 90 of Eau Claire passed away on Sunday, October 2, 2016 at Sacred Heart Hospital.
Richard was born on April 26, 1926 in Eau Claire County to Fred and Julia (Nelson) May. He married Mildred Roach on January 20, 1950 in Eau Claire. He served in the Navy on the USS New Jersey. Richard was a butcher and also worked at Immaculate Conception School and the YMCA. He loved growing flowers, mowing his lawn, and attending sporting events. He loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren very much. Recently, Richard took the freedom honor flight to Washington D.C. and was awarded the Steven Anderson Award earlier this year from the YMCA.
Richard is survived by his daughter, Diane (Keith) Howard; grandchildren, Tina (Art) Walters, Heidi (Doug) Palmberg, and Roberta (Luke) Gehweiler; and great-grandchildren, Robert, Ahna, Andre, Emma, Justin, Evan, Weston, Isaac, and Ava.
Richard was preceded in death by his wife, Mildred May; sons, Gregory May in infancy and Steven May; and ten siblings.
The family would like to thank his friends at Immaculate Conception School and the YMCA.
Funeral services will be Thursday, October 6, 2016 at 11:30 am at Smith Funeral Chapel with Pastor Deb Boynton officiating. Visitation will begin two hours prior to the services at the funeral home on Thursday. Burial will follow the services at Forest Hill Cemetery with American Legion Post 53 performing military honors.
I am a member and an employee of the Eau Claire YMCA. Dick was someone everyone needed to pull inspiration from. He was there every day he could be…..and even days when people told him to take it easy. He made everyone feel welcome to come to the Y!! His shoes will be very difficult to fill…..
Rest easy, Dick.
Dick was the BEST. I will miss him very much. A charming, fellow with a quick wit, he really pulled that locker room together. His loyalty was so greatly admired. How lucky we are for his time here.
Sincerely, Steve McCullough
‘Honest Richard’ he called himself at the YMCA-he made my day, everyday I saw him at the Y-he had a wonderful sense of humor-we will miss him so very much
So sorry to hear of Dick’s passing. I have very fond memories of Dick dating back to my time at IC as a student, and more recently as a member of the YMCA. Dick is truly one in a million, and his infectious personality will be sorely missed by everyone that has had the pleasure to meet him over the years. Hopefully all of the wonderful memories will provide comfort over the coming days and weeks. My thoughts are extended to his entire family. – Mike Toutant
To Diane and the rest of Dick’s family – I was saddened to the core to hear of Dick’s passing. He was truly a great man and positively influenced innumerable lives. He was Loving, Compassionate, Friendly, Encouraging, Accepting, Genuinely interested in others. Simple – in a good sense, in that he lived life simply,ma gift we all seem to complicate. Rest in peace Dick – well deserved. Prayers for you and all… Bill Hawn
I absolutely loved talking to Dick at the Y in the mornings. What a kind, gentle, caring, spectacular man! He could always make me smile and will be missed greatly. Peace to all who loved him.
I attended IC from 1989-1998. He was literally my favorite and most memorable human being in that school. Words cannot describe how meaningful and important his hugs were on a daily basis, and just seeing his smile was comforting and reassuring to so me and so many of the students at IC. He was a LEGEND. Rest in peace, Dick!
Thank You For Being You.You will be sadly miss.
Dick was a man of many words and the greatest smiles. He made everyone have a better day… Thank you Dick, you will be missed!
Dick was representative of what the YMCA is all about. He was about the people at the YMCA. He welcomed everyone and made it his business to make people smile. I will miss his smile , joking with him and his hugs.
Athena
As a member of the YMCA, I so enjoyed Dick’s ever present smile and warm greetings. He was such a positive presence. Truly an example to all, of how meaningful it is to be warm, pleasant and kind to others.
I will miss him.
Dick will be missed he had a wonderful sense of humor and was a great asset to the Y.
Dick will be greatly missed in the locker room with his wit & commitment to his job at the YMCA. He would always have a smile & call you Mister! Rest in peace Dick.
dick was the bright spot on any day, sunny or not, he loved joking around with people and always had a smile
it was an honor and a true gift to have known him
Dick helped me to keep in mind that human contact and friendship are just as important as a workout. I will miss hearing his “whoopee” from down the hall, knowing that he’s coming in to “press that button to make the machine go faster.” I’m very fortunate to have known him.
Dick was the highlight of my Y visits. He was always happy, upbeat, and full of mischief. He brightened my day! He was truly one of a kind and will forever be in my memory. It was my privilege to know him.
Please accept my sincere condolence.
Mike Ries
We are so sorry to here about Dick. He was a Great man. You always saw a smile on his face even though we couldn’t get him to come into the pool with us. He will be missed alot. We always watched for him to come in and say Hi. He was the Highlight of our morning. Our Deepest Sympathy, The Gang From Joint Efforts
My deepest sympathies to the May family. Please know that your father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend was a truly remarkable human being. I will forever remember his smile and how he lit up the hallways at Immaculate Conception. He made all of us kids feel like we were one of his very own. I wish him eternal peace.
Dick was a great entertainer and inspiration. I have been a member at the YMCA for many years and had the great pleasure to see and talk with Dick nearly every morning. Despite one of his several fondly given nicknames being Dick “Do-Little” my last memory of Dick was seeing him immaculately mop and clean the entire locker room leaving it spotless just a few days before his passing. We can only hope the next generation has a small portion of the unbelievable work ethic and attention to detail that Dick had. Dick will never be forgotten and will be missed dearly!