Richard T. "Dick" Malstrom, 75, Medford, died at Aspirus Medford Hospital on April 21, 2015 at 2:10 a.m. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Medford, with Father Joseph and Father Dennis Meulemans officiating.
A private burial will take place at the Molitor Catholic Cemetery. Pallbearers are Jacob Knippel, Neill Nettesheim, William Wells, Lukas Nettesheim, James Nettesheim, Don Tomczak and Joe Tomczak.
Visitation will be held on Friday, April 24, 2015 at Hemer Funeral Home, Medford Chapel, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., and also on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of Mass at 11 a.m.
Richard Malstrom was born on June 26, 1939 in Chicago, Ill. to the late Richard A. and Bernice A. (Szydlowski) Malstrom. He attended Carl Schurz High School in Chicago, where he was a member of the swimming and soccer teams, and graduated in 1957. While there, he played violin and was the concert master of a 100 piece orchestra. He earned his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
He met Lynn Marie Farrell while he was a lifeguard at Lake Michigan's North Avenue Beach, and later married her on January 30, 1960 in McHenry, Ill. He began his teaching career in 1965 at Holy Cross Seminary in La Crosse. He then went on to teach at Medford Area School District starting in 1968, where he taught Physical Education and Drivers Education. He was the head of the Physical Education Department at the high school, where his goal was to teach "Lifetime Sports" such as archery, curling, cross country skiing, and bowling. During his tenure, he also coached many sports including Freshman and Varsity Basketball, Freshman Football, he was the founding coach of the Cross Country team, and took great pleasure in coaching Track and Golf for many years. His efforts were recognized when he was inducted into the Medford High School Wall of Fame following his retirement in 1999.
He was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church, and sang in the Monks and Folk Choirs. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, golfing, traveling and spending time at "The Shack." The family camping trips to Ely, Minnesota, which have taken place annually for 52 years, were a highlight of every summer. In his retirement, he looked forward to taking his grandchildren on the "Grammy and Papa" trips to different destinations throughout the United States.
Throughout their life, Dick and Lynn took in 25 foster children. Each child they took in, no matter the time spent with them, became a part of their family.
Survivors include his wife, Lynn Marie (Farrell) Malstrom; children, Jenn (Gerald) Knippel of Medford, Leza (Kevin) Wells of Medford, Cary Natoli (fiancé Mike Stege) of Rosemount, MN, Juli (Darryl) Volk of Jordan, MN, Kristi (John) Murphy of Gunnison, CO, Don Tomczak of Medford and Joe Tomczak of Medford; grandchildren, Jaisie (Mike) Kleist, Kathrhyn (Ryan) Krueger, Jacob Knippel, Neill (Natalie) Nettesheim, William (Olivia Main) Wells, Lukas Nettesheim, James Nettesheim, Abygail Natoli, Erin Natoli, Emma Natoli, Alyssa Volk, Maggie Murphy, Jack Murphy and Shannon Murphy; and great-grandchildren, Sophia and Westin Kleist, Sadie Krueger, Remington Nettesheim and Morgan Wells.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Madelyn Ritzmann, in 1995.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in honor of Dick may be made to All Sports Booster Club C/O New Sports Complex or to Holy Rosary Catholic Church.
