Richard Charles "Dick" Robbins

Richard Charles “Dick” Robbins, age 85, of Hayward WI, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 21, 2023, at Aspen Acres Assisted Living in Hayward, WI.  He was born on May 15, 1937, in Rockford, IL, the son of Clyde Charles and Violet Laura (Kramer) Robbins.  Dick was united in marriage to Elizabeth Eleanor (Bonnie) Strom on September 2, 1960 in Rockford, IL.  She preceded him in death on April 6, 1979.  Dick was fortunate to find love again and married Elizabeth Ruth Anderson on March 24, 1984 in Cambridge, WI.

Dick graduated from Rockford West High School with the class of 1955.  He proudly served his country in the United States Army Reserve and spent time while in the Reserve in Virginia Beach, VA.   Dick was a loyal and dedicated employee at Woodward Governor Company from October 4, 1955 until May 31, 1993.  He started his career as a machinist and worked his way up to Personnel Manager in Rockford and then Plant Manager in Stevens Point, WI before retiring in 1993.  He touched many lives and made many good friends over the years at Woodward Governor Company. 

Dick was a fishing and boating enthusiast.  He owned four different boats in his lifetime and took impeccable care of each of them.  He loved trailering his boats to various lakes to spend the day on the water.  He was a very good water skier and managed to water ski well into his 60’s.  Dick had a dream of living on a lake and he fulfilled that dream with his wife Elizabeth “Liz” after his retirement in 1993.  They were blessed to build their lake home on beautiful Lac Courte Oreilles in Hayward, WI.  They always enjoyed entertaining their family and friends at the lake.  Dick also enjoyed spending time in the woods at his lake home.  He was known to have the “cleanest” woods in the area. 

Dick was always a Wisconsin sports enthusiast.  He was always cheering on the Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks and the Green Bay Packers.  He was a very social and gregarious man who never met a stranger.  He loved starting up conversations and was never at a loss for words.  He was a very compassionate individual with a heart of gold.  Dick was a man of very strong faith.  He was a member of First Lutheran Church in Hayward, WI.  He enjoyed the camaraderie he shared with the men’s bible studies and coffee groups. 

He is survived by his beloved wife of 39 years, Elizabeth Robbins of Hayward, WI; his children, Kathryn Robbins of Rockford, IL, Linnea (Joseph) Winters of New Carlisle, IN, and Steven (Jennifer) Robbins of Hayward, WI; and his grandchildren, Eli, Abigail, Jordan, Jaiden and Deven.  Dick was so very proud of his entire family.  He would always tell his children and grandchildren how proud he was of their accomplishments and he loved sharing news of his family with his friends.

In addition to his parents, Dick is preceded in death by his twin sister, Phyllis Robbins; and his first wife, Elizabeth Eleanor Robbins.

A memorial service to celebrate a life well lived will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at First Lutheran Church in Hayward, where visitation will be held from 10:00 AM until the hour of the service.  A committal service will be held at 1:30 P.M. on Friday, August 18, 2023 at Sunset Memorial Gardens, 8800 North Alpine Road in Machesney Park, IL.

Memorials may be directed to First Lutheran Church, PO Box 346, Hayward, WI 54843 or Regional Hospice, 1913 Beaser Avenue, Ashland, WI 54806.    

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for their compassionate care to all the Doctors, Nurses, Therapists and Assistants at Essentia Health- St. Marys Medical Center and Hilltop Healthcare Rehabilitation in Duluth, MN in addition to Aspen Acres Assisted Living in Hayward, WI.

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