Dr. Richard John Wlodyga

Dr. Richard John Wlodyga, age 93 of St. Clair Shores, and formerly of Warren, died Saturday, November 16, 2019 surrounded by his loving family at Lakeshore Assisted Living in St. Clair Shores. He was born September 11, 1926 in Detroit, son of the late John and the late Martha Victoria (nee: Celmer) Wlodyga.

With thanks and praise from a grateful nation, we honor Richard for his service to our country during World War II. As a soldier in the United States Army Air Corps, Richard attained the rank of Sergeant and served with distinction until ultimately receiving his honorable discharge on January 19, 1947. For the sacrifices made and his willingness to stand in harm’s way for freedom’s sake, we pay tribute to his service and extend our posthumous gratitude to Richard for answering his call to duty with esteemed pride and patriotism. He truly was part of the “Greatest Generation.”

Richard was one of the rare individuals who knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life from the age of 10 years old. He always wanted to be an optometrist and realized that dream, practicing for 42 years primarily at the Warren Optometric Clinic which he founded in the 1960's. Richard was an innovator in the field of contact lenses and orthokeratology and became a world-renowned optometrist having invented special lenses and processes that are still in use today. Richard was also an integral part in the harvesting of corneas for donations to the Michigan Eye Bank for the Blind. Upon learning of his passing, a fellow optometric colleague posted the following to a national audience. “Dr. Richard Wlodyga has passed away. For those of you who may not know, Dr. Wlodyga was the first person to experiment with “reverse curve lenses” to reduce myopia around 1989. He teamed up with Nick Stoyan to revolutionize Orthokeratology with the contex OK lens which dramatically increased the amount of myopia that could be reduced, as well as the speed of its reduction. The term “Accelerated Ortho-K” was used to describe the resulting advanced procedure. Please take a moment to appreciate that we all stand on the shoulders of this man. Dr. Wlodyga was 93 years old.”

Richard was a hard worker, one who was extremely dedicated to his patients and the on-going growth of his specialized field of healthcare. He poured the best parts of himself into that care, which often meant extending countless hours in the process. Yet fortunately, Richard also knew how to introduce a bit of balance to it all through some of his favorite pastimes,…first & foremost being the quality time shared with family and friends. He knew how to have fun and share it. Over the years that included downhill skiing (especially family vacations to Boyne Highlands), golfing, and flying planes both small and large. During his children's teenage years he trained and got his private pilot's license and loved sharing that passion with anyone interested in joining him. He and his love & wife, Phyllis traveled regularly for both his professional training and teaching, as well as for the enjoyment of seeing the world together. Their travel portfolio included such places as Italy, Australia, Austria, Spain, Belgium, England, Canada (Quebec and the Canadian Rockies), the New England states, and the Swiss Alps. 

In his earlier days, Richard loved to dance. A widely embraced activity back in his day, the dance hall was known for being a popular venue to meet people,…a reality for Richard when he met the girl who would sweep him off his feet, the beautiful Miss Phyllis LeComte. The two loved sharing the dance floor together and found great enjoyment in tripping the light fantastic. Their children have fond memories of them dancing together in the middle of the kitchen. What began as a dance mate would soon become something much more special as friendship turned to romance, and 65 years of not just being married, but romancing each other right to the end. 

Richard’s career path also provided him the opportunity of being plugged into some community organizations that supported his work and outreach to his patients. Therein, he was proud to be a member of the Michigan Optometric Association, the Warren Lion’s Club, and NERF, the National Eye Research Foundation. Along with his memberships, Richard was also honored to serve all three as Past President, positions he held in the highest regard.

In telling a story of Richard, a prominent mention would have to be of his incredible nature and spirit, each of which were grounded by a “positivity” that truly defined the man. Always willing to laugh at himself, that spoke as well to his sense of humor which easily accompanied his friendly attitude. A good attitude and a sense of humor make for friends galore,…and Richard was blessed with a bounty of them. Many of these friends were made at his church, St. Sylvester’s in Warren, where he was an active parishioner for over 40 years. Together, he and Phyllis were honored to have helped and counseled countless newlyweds-to-be as administrators of the churches Marriage Prep classes., a ministry they enjoyed for many years. Dedicated to his community, Richard’s retirement years also found him serving as a volunteer at St. John Hospital in Warren. For many going through troubling times in an uneasy environment, Richard was their calm amidst the storm. Considering all of this activity and responsibility, Richard worked more than he rested which didn’t bode well for good sleep. So every once in a while when sleep came over him (and he could sleep anywhere), you would often here him say, “I’m just resting my eyes.” It became a quote of endearment to his loved ones and friends, and a great source for a chuckle or two.

Being proud of his children and large family, Richard was a loving husband, father, grandfather, mentor and coach, and in large part due to being a devout man of God. His faith was strong and his compassion ran deep because he walked with Jesus. He taught his dear ones to love God and love family,…in that order. It is only by the grace of God that this amazing man was able to manage all that he did, and it was the grace of God that sustained him. As a doctor, family man and friend, Richard touched countless lives in his journey through life and imparted the best of himself into every person he met. May he, now, rest in peace and embrace the words of his Lord, “well done, thy good and faithful servant.” He will be missed immensely and loved eternally.

Richard was the beloved husband of 65 years to his beautiful Belgian bride, Miss Phyllis Jeanne (nee: LeComte). He was the dearest father of Janet (Roy) Early, Nancy (Stephen) Vella, Martha Schneider, Richard (Sally Sears) Wlodyga, and Mary (Michael) Frye. Loving grandfather of David Haberer, Matthew (Brandy) Haberer, Jonathan (Traci) Haberer, Christopher (Jeffrey Boyar) Vella, Grant (Ella) Schneider, Benjamin (Sydney) Haberer, Stephanie (Jason Meints) Vella, Jennifer (Alex) Bissett, Kyle Wlodyga, Amy Haberer, Brianna (Tyler) Cass, Rebecca Early, Shelbie Frye, Adam Wlodyga, Tayler Frye, Joshua Early, Paige Schneider, Jacob Frye, and great-grandfather of Zoriana, Bentley, Jett, Blake, Reagan, Liam, Jaxson, Mila, Dylan, Nox, Mack, Ezekiel, and Gia. Brother of the late Henry Wlodyga, and the late George Wlodyga. Brother-in-law of Louise (Richard) Ravetta, Janet (Don) Tevlin, Mary (Frank) Bowler, and the late Roger LeComte. Richard is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.

Visitation for Richard will be held Tuesday, November 19th from 3-8 pm, with a 6 pm Rosary Service, at the D.S. Temrowski & Sons Funeral Home, 30009 Hoover Road at Common (12 ½ Mile Road) in Warren.

Richard will lie In State on Wednesday, November 20th from 10:30 am until time of the Funeral Mass at 11:00 am at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Warren. Officiating the funeral liturgy will be Reverend Fr. Nick Zukowski.

In recognition of Sgt. Richard Wlodyga’s service to our country, the U.S. Army will be rendering military honors immediately following his Funeral Mass at church.

Additionally, Richard’s cemetery committal service & burial will take place on Thursday, November 21st , 1:30 pm at Great Lakes National Cemetery, located at 4200 Belford Road, Holly, Michigan 48442.

Memorial donations, in Richard's name, may be directed to Eversight (formerly the Michigan Eye Bank), 3985 Research Park Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108,...or at https://www.eversightvision.org/give/

Please share memories of Richard at his guest book below.