Richard leaves a legacy of strength, love, honesty, hard work, and integrity which will be remembered forever. We are grateful for every day we were able to see his beautiful blue eyes and sweet grin, for the lessons we learned from him, and for the war stories he told, when prodded to do so.
Richard Steve Radovich was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 1, 1931. He attended Boys Tech high school in Milwaukee and graduated in 1949. He was offered the chance to go to college, but instead he told his parents he wanted a truck; with that he started his own hauling business at the age of 17. At 19 he joined the Marine Corp, being assigned to Camp Pendleton, CA for basic training and then serving in the Korean War. He served on the front lines, was wounded, was a Purple Heart recipient, and then was given the opportunity to be an ambulance driver, which turned out to be just as dangerous.
Upon his discharge he returned to Milwaukee and, with the money he saved while in the service because he didn’t drink, smoke or carouse, he bought a piece of land and built a sporting goods store, Evergreen Sport Shop. Richard met his wife at Central Sales Corp., where he purchased sporting goods for his store. After a courtship of six months they were married.
He loved his family, home life, and hard work. He was an avid collector of a myriad of things, including stamps and 101 Ranch memorabilia, but he especially loved mammoth fossils and was interested in learning everything he could about dinosaurs. He was a man of many interests so, of course, there were many hunting trips throughout the U.S. and Canada; besides the occasional fishing with his friends.
He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, and had a certain charm about him the ladies loved. He could talk to anyone about almost anything and had a certain persuasive nature that invited others to tell him things they held secret from others. He was trustworthy and would never divulge a secret, he was an all around great guy.
Richard was preceded in death by his loving daughter, Collene Radovich (Chamblee, Rose); grandson, Brent Chamblee; his parents, Steve and Katherine (Magarich) Radovich; and his sister, Sylvia Radovich (Straka).
Richard is survived by his wife, Darlene (Walker) Radovich, his devoted son and best friend, Rory Radovich and his wife, Susan (Kasper) Radovich; grandchildren, Ryan Radovich, Amanda Radovich (Cordes), and Taylor Rose; plus a granddaughter-in-law, Melissa (Fillmore) Chamblee, and 2 great-grandchildren, Collene Chamblee, and Olivia Radovich.
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