Richard Stanilaus Ostrowski
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Richard Stanilaus Ostrowski, better known as "Dick" to most people, passed away at the age of 90 on December 30, 2021 at Our House Memory Care in Whitewater, Wisconsin.
Dick was born in Poland in 1931. His father, Jozef, was a military calvary officer. From what Dick could recall, his mother died when he was a very young child, and his father remarried a woman named "Maria". When Nazi Germany invaded in 1939, Jozef was able to get Maria and Dick out of the country via an underground refugee network and they ended up in Algiers (North Africa). It appears that Jozef, unfortunately, was subsequently executed by Russian troops in the 1940 mass execution of Polish officers known as the Katyn Forest Massacre.
In August of 1942, Maria & Dick made it to Portugal and a Pan Am flight to New York City. After processing through Ellis Island, they came to Milwaukee and lived with Maria's relative in the predominately Polish southside, where Dick learned English from classmates. Shortly afterwards, Maria left Dick with the relative. Dick worked in the relative's corner store into his teenage years when he was unofficially "adopted" by a friend's parents, living with them and their sons. Dick met Joyce McGinness sometime in 1950 and they fell in love. Because the age of consent at the time was 21 and Dick was just shy of 21, Dick was formally adopted by "Ma and Pa Reed" so he and Joyce could marry in July of 1952.
Dick also had joined the Army in February of 1952. He was stationed in post-war Germany and served as a staff car driver for a Major. Dick developed his love of horse riding there as some of the officers had their mounts on the base and taught Dick to ride. Dick remained proud of his military service and maintained a close friendship with one of his Army pals who was also from Wisconsin, Jim Halbach. They fished Lake Winnebago together for many years until Jim's health declined. True to friendship, Dick visited Jim many times in the Fond-du-lac facility where he lived, laughing together about the good times of their Army days, until Jim's death in 2017.
After being honorably discharged in 1954, Dick returned to Milwaukee where he drove a delivery truck for Banner Lumber. They had a son, David, in 1955. Dick became a naturalized U.S. Citizen in the same year. In 1960, he began a driving career for Sears, Roebuck & Company operating a semi-truck to deliver merchandise to stores between Milwaukee and Green Bay. Dick was proud to be a member of the Teamsters Union, even to the point of having a credit card all these years that bears their logo.
In 1965, the company decided to create a transfer point in West Bend. Dick and Joyce moved the family, which included Joyce's mother, into a newly built home in West Bend. He and Joyce continued to enjoy life together, making new friends of their neighbors and taking family vacations at resorts "up north", where water-skiing and fishing were the main events. Tragedy struck the family, however, in 1971 when Joyce suddenly died of a brain hemorrhage. A few years later, Dick married for a second time, but it ended in divorce. Dick then purchased his "dream" rural property north of West Bend and began to raise/ride horses, his favorites being Red, Sage, and Rose, while continuing to work for Sears.
Dick met Darlene Henrichs at a truck stop restaurant that he frequented. They fell in love and married in 1989. Darlene was a wonderful partner and enjoyed many of Dick's hobbies as well as travelling the U.S. to visit various sites. However, tragedy again befell Dick as Darlene passed away of ovarian cancer in 1996. Dick never married again.
Trap shooting was one of Dick's passions. He was a member of the Beechwood Sportman Club and shot at other nearby ranges. Dick shot trap well into his 80's and could still break 22 out of 25 clays. He was proud of the fact that, years ago at a trap range in Milwaukee, he met the Movie/TV cowboy star Roy Rogers and shot with him; beating him by a few "birds". These skills were handy when the family would yearly visit relatives in South Dakota during pheasant hunting season. He treasured hunting & visiting with the Timperley and Minske families over many years.
Dick trained and loved his Golden Retriever dogs who were loyal companions. One of them, Rex, was so well trained that Dick could "tell" him to retrieve a push broom and Rex would enthusiastically do so! Another dog, Sounder, was so loyal that, on his own initiative, he once climbed up a ladder to be with Dick on the house roof.
Dick was a "do-it-yourself" guy with woodworking/carpentry, electrical, plumbing and landscaping projects. He always felt there was no need to hire someone if you could learn it yourself. While living in Milwaukee, he built his first boat, out of wood, in a rented garage. He sold the boat later for an aluminum one. However, upon moving to West Bend, he found that one of his new neighbors now owned the wooden one he built years ago and still used it!
After Dick's retirement in 1992, he continued to enjoy life in rural West Bend, but over the years all his hard work began to take its toll on him. He developed vascular dementia and was unable to continue to live on his own. He moved to the memory care facility in Whitewater in 2019 to be closer to his son and daughter-in-law, Kathy. He enjoyed being with the other seniors who lived there, but slowly continued his decline in both memory and health until his death.
Per Dick's explicit instructions, no services will be held. After cremation and with family present, Dick's ashes will be interred in the same gravesite where both Joyce and Darlene were laid to rest in the Washington County Park.
Dick is survived by his son David, his daughter-in-law Kathleen, loving members of the Stockhausen family, Darlene's son Rick Henrichs, his Beechwood and Ridge Runners trap shooting "buddies," Ron (Barb) Timperley, Evonne Minske and many other neighbors and friends that knew him over the years.
David and Kathy are extremely grateful to the staff of Our House, especially Angela, Brandy, Sue, and Lois, for their compassionate care of Dick as his dementia and age progressed. Dick enjoyed living there as he never referred to his private living space as a "room"; only as his "house". That's because the staff always made him feel like he was at home. They would also thank the Agrace staff, especially nurse Lynn and the CNAs, that cared for Dick during his final days.
Albrecht Funeral Homes & Cremation Services (828 S, Janesville Street, Milton WI 53563) is assisting with the arrangements. Condolences may be posted on their website (www.albrechtfuneralhomes.com) and/or cards may be sent to their location for delivery to the family.