Richard Dungar

Richard passed away on April 10, 2026, at Bethany St. Joseph's Nursing Home in La Crosse, WI. Interesting fact regarding his first name: His family called him Rick; at Aquinas, he was known as Dick, but all along, he preferred to be called Richard. Truly, it didn't matter what name was used; all Rick ever wanted was to be accepted and be a friend to everyone. He was described by many as "the nicest person you would ever want to meet." He never said a bad word about anyone.

Rick was born in Appleton, WI, on May 2, 1950, and in 1967, Rick and his family moved to La Crosse, where he enrolled at Aquinas High School as a sophomore. He was a loyal Aquinas "Blugold for Life" alumnus. He cherished his time at Aquinas and was active in the planning of each of his class reunions. As a member of the Aquinas Alumni Association, he volunteered countless hours at Aquinas, archiving the school's history.

Graduating from Aquinas with the class of 1969, Rick went on to earn a bachelor's degree in secondary education, with a minor in history, from UW-L. Richard was very well read and an exceptional conversationalist. He had an unbelievable memory and very quick recall. He prided himself on being able to name every US President and Pope in order. He could also tell you when they served, their views, basic core beliefs, and important worldly facts from the time they served. He enjoyed political discussions. Rick, for the most part, was a staunch Democrat; however, he was not afraid to voice his opinion if he felt either party was guilty of dishonesty or corruption. He genuinely respected the right to vote and felt a strong responsibility and obligation to never miss the opportunity to vote. You knew when he disagreed with someone's opinion, he would do this little "Hmmm" after you spoke. He respected and followed the British Royal Family throughout history. But there again, he picked and chose the family members he respected, based on their moral actions.

Rick was an unwavering member of the Catholic Church and lived his faith throughout his life. He enjoyed fishing, walking, playing chess (and winning), conversation with friends, and reading about history, especially US history. He cherished and was extremely loyal to his family, friends, and Aquinas High School. Rick is survived and dearly missed by his sisters Chris(Don) Baumann, Jessica (Ronald DeRooi) Bennie; nieces Abbey, Kelsey, Carolyn, Emily, Shannon, Zoreli; nephews Andrew, Joe, Jarrod, Alex and Cody; great nieces and nephews Emmry, Easton, Asher, Keller, Caleb, Alice, Olivia, and Elia; and cherished friends Pam and Dan Claussen, and Dan Wettstein. He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Dorothy Dungar, and brother Ted.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00am, Thursday, July 2, 2026 at St. Joseph's the Workman's Cathedral, 530 Main St., La Crosse.  Family and friends may gather for a visitation one hour prior to Mass . According to Dick's wishes, friends are invited to a gathering at the Bluffside Tavern, located at the foot of historic Grand Dad's Bluff, 2712 Main St, following the service.