Obituary of Richard Wyczawski

Richard Ray Wyczawski, 72, passed away on April 5, 2025, after a long battle with cancer.  Rich was born on October 19, 1952 in Thorp, WI to Val and Anna Wyczawski. 

After graduating from Thorp High school in 1970, Rich went on to get his BA at the University of WI - Eau Claire.  He spent over 25 years in retail management with Walgreens and Snyder Drug.  Retail was very demanding and he decided that he wanted to spend less time at work and more time with his family.   He worked at Prudential, Seren Innovations and Majestic Tree Care.  After his first bout of cancer he decided to slow down and semi-retire. He started driving school bus for the Osseo school district.  It was a perfect fit for him.  It combined two things he loved, driving and kids.  

Rich and Deb (Groth) met in St Cloud, at a mutual friend’s divorce party, in 1982.  They married on October 19,1984 in Mankato.  They shared a love for travel and enjoyed their many trips around the country.  Rich was quite the explorer, loved maps and loved planning day trips.  Most of the time he chose to drive what he called, “the scenic route”. He seldom took the same route anywhere.  

The one thing Rich was most proud of, was his family. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and brother.  Rich was a coach for Nick and Tony’s four pitch softball team and Nick’s basketball team, at Folwell Park in North Minneapolis.  He did daycare for Myles, for a couple of years, until his second bout of cancer.  To say that Rich was a Green Bay Packers fan is an understatement. Some of his best memories were of home games at Lambeau Field, cheering on the Packers with family and friends.  He always said, that one of his greatest accomplishments was to raise his sons and grandchildren as Green Bay Packers fans. He was also an avid cribbage player.  He spent years collecting cribbage boards and proudly displayed all 105 of them.  

After retirement, Rich and Deb lived one of his dreams and moved from their North Minneapolis home of 30 years. They moved to their lake home on Lincoln Lake, outside of Spooner, WI.  Rich loved being back in WI and got involved in the community.  He enjoyed being a volunteer driver for the nonprofit, Neighbor to Neighbor. He also delivered groceries for homebound seniors and adults with disabilities.  He made many great friends in Spooner, playing Darts, Cornhole and Cribbage.  After his fourth bout with cancer, he decided it was important to move back to MN and live closer to family.  

Rich is survived by his wife, Deb; sons Nick (Diana) and Tony (Rapha); grandchildren Myles, Hannah, Ari, Ricky, Antonio; brother Walt (Pat); sisters Mary Ann Busse and Dolores Brown.  

A celebration of Rich’s life will be held on Saturday, June 28th, from 11:00am to 2:00pm at North Mississippi Regional Park, 4900 Mississippi Ct, Minneapolis, Pavilion C

In lieu of flowers, donations in Rich’s memory may be made to Neighbor to Neighbor.  https://www.fiawashburn.org