Richard Allen Tomhave

On Sunday, April 27, 2025 Richard (Dick) Allen Tomhave, beloved father, grandfather, husband, and brother in Christ, joined the choir of angels and saints in the church triumphant. He is united with God in death, as he was in life.

Richard was born October 12, 1944 in Red Wing, MN to Alfred and Dorothea Tomhave. After Richard was born, Alfred and Dorothea had two other children, Roxanne and Steve. They lived at the top of a hill on Cherry Street. Richard remembered walking to and from school, sometimes in the snow, which he said was a real bummer. Some of Richard’s other memories of Red Wing included gathering eggs from the chicken coop, having a car with a rumble seat, and playing cowboys with the Gene Autry gun set that he received for Christmas. Richard enjoyed singing at church on Christmas and had a very deep faith that stayed with him throughout his life. One notable trait shared by the men of the Tomhave family is that Alfred, Richard, and Steve all excelled at speaking Donald Duck, which created many laughs and lots of silliness and eventually garnered him the nickname of “Grandpa Duck.”

Alfred was deployed to Germany after WWII and took the family with him. While in Germany, Richard learned how to play the saxophone, which sparked his lifelong love of music, especially the genre we lovingly call “smooth jazz.” Richard said he couldn’t play very well, because he couldn’t hit the high notes, but he was still the best musician in school. He was eventually chosen to play in the school band, which was a lot of fun.

Richard went to college at the University of Missouri at Columbia. He met his first wife, Nancy Provost, while playing bridge with mutual friends, and they were married in 1969. Richard and Nancy had two children, Amy Elizabeth (1972) and Alan Elliot (1973).

While at Mizzou, Richard joined the Air Force ROTC, which started a military career that took him to Germany, Greece, and Turkey. Through his service with the Air Force, Richard received a Meritorious Service Award and other commendations while also studying for and receiving his MBA. The Air Force eventually brought him to Riverside where he ultimately left the Air Force to work in the private sector for Waste Management.

Richard and Nancy eventually divorced. In 1979 he met the love of his life, Jacquie, when he was dancing at an after party for a divorced adult’s support group. She thought he was a pretty good dancer. Turns out, they danced together pretty well for forty-one years after getting married in 1980. Turned out, Jacquie had two children from a previous marriage too, Loren Martin and Garritt Brendan.

After they were married in 1980, Richard’s subsequent career moves took the family to Peoria, IL, Tucson, AZ, and Austin, TX. In 1988, Richard moved to Austin, TX. Eventually he left Waste Management and found his way to The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, where he was CFO until his retirement at the age of 67 in 2011.

Richard leaves behind children Amy, Alan (Hillary), Loren, and Garritt (Sarah), brother and sister in law Steve and Jetty, five grandchildren (Aidan, Madeline, Eli, Oliver, Owen), one niece, two nephews, and numerous friends who will remember his humor and Donald Duck voice forever. He is preceded in death by his wife Jacquie, his parents, and his sister Roxanne Wilson.

The family requests that memorials be donated to Spirit in the Hills Lutheran Church, 2106 Bee Creek Road, Spicewood, TX, 78669 or The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 4801 La Crosse Ave, Austin, TX 78739.