Richard “Dick” Pingel
Sunday, May 27, 1934
Date of Death:
Monday, October 19, 2020
Age:
86 years old
Visitation
Date: Thursday October 22, 2020
Time: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home [ view map ]
Second Visitation
Date: Friday October 23, 2020
Time: 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Location: Holy Spirit Catholic Church [ view map ]
Funeral Mass
Date: Friday October 23, 2020
Time: 10:30 am
Location: Holy Spirit Catholic Church [ view map ]
Burial
Location: Pleasant Prairie Cemetery [ view map ]
Sunday, May 27, 1934
Date of Death:
Monday, October 19, 2020
Age:
86 years old
Sunday, May 27, 1934
Date of Death:
Monday, October 19, 2020
Age:
86 years old
Richard “Dick” Pingel
Richard Carl Pingel, 86 of Rochester, MN died peacefully surrounded by love on October 19, 2020. Richard was born at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Rock Island, Illinois on May 27, 1934, to Earl and Rosalia (Showalter) Pingel. He graduated from Alleman High School in 1952, where he participated in various sports. Richard served in the US Army for 7 years, including active duty and reserve. He attended St. Ambrose College studying engineering and worked in mechanical design for multiple companies. In 1959 Richard married Mary “Molly” Hurley at the Assumption Church in Granger, Iowa. In 1968 he joined IBM in Rochester where he became a senior associate engineer in mechanical development and worked for 24 years. Richard moved his family to Stewartville, Minnesota in 1969 where his children attended school. While raising his family, Richard and Molly were foster parents for many infants through Catholic Charities who were later adopted by families. Richard and Molly relocated to Rochester in 1992 after his retirement from IBM. In retirement, Richard joined the Kiwanis Golden K-Club in Rochester and enjoyed volunteering at John Adams Middle School and working part-time at John Marshall High School. In retirement, Richard and Molly also enjoyed spending winters at their second home in Sahuarita, Arizona. Since 2018 Richard and Molly resided at The Homestead at Rochester.
Richard relished spending time with family and friends, and particularly enjoyed the outdoors, especially gardening, bicycling, and canoeing in the Minnesota Boundary Waters Canoe Area. His hobbies included making furniture through woodworking and creating lovely paintings and chalk drawings.
Richard is survived by his wife Mary “Molly” of Rochester, daughters Paula (David) of Tucson, AZ; Teresa (Patrick) of River Falls, WI; Kathleen (Ron) of Hanover, MN; and sons Thomas (Kim) of Mantorville, MN; Daniel (Cara) of Lakeville, MN; Martin (Lisa) of Neenah, WI; and Joseph of Rochester, MN, his sister Rita (William) and brother Edward (Mary), 16 grandchildren (Matthew, Rebecca, Kayla, Kelley, Erik, Jacob, Jonah, Kari, Keeghan, Benjamin, Ryley, Margaret, MaKayla, Zoey, Emma, Blake) and great-grandchildren Karmen, William, Lilly, Liam, and Jade.
Richard is preceded in death by his sister Ellyn Stych.
The Funeral Mass for Richard will be held on Friday, October 23, 2020 at 10:30AM at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Rochester with Father Thomas Loomis officiating. Visitation will be held on Thursday evening, October 22, 2020 from 5:00pm until 7:00pm in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home and one hour prior to the Mass on Friday. Burial will be in Pleasant Prairie Cemetery of Rochester. Please attend wearing a mask.
The family would like to thank Father Tom Loomis along with Kasey, Helen, Jane, and Chi Chi from Mayo Hospice for the wonderful support and care they provided. Also, a special thank you to Tom and Kim Pingel for care in their home during Richard’s final days.
Memorials are preferred to Holy Spirit Catholic Church or the Ronald McDonald House. Online condolences are welcome at the Macken Funeral Home.
Condolences
The family of Richard “Dick” Pingel has received the following condolences.
So sorry to hear the news of Dick's passing.
Eternal rest grant unto them oh Lord & let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest In Peace
Pingle Family,
We are so sorry for the loss of your father, grandfather and great grandfather.
prayers,
Cathy and Ted Pletta
Molly and family,
It is with deep sorrow hearing of Dick's passing. We always looked forward to seeing you in Arizona. What a loving and kind couple. Ken and Dick loved playing cards and swapping stories. I enjoyed their hugs and smiling faces.
Wishing you all prayers and peace.
Rest well sweet friend.
Dear Molly and family. We are holding you and the family up in prayer. Dick had a wonderful life, full of fun, love and laughter. We are privileged to be counted as friends.
My deepest and outmost sincere condolences to Sgt. Tom Pingel and his families.
Carol and I were sorry to hear of Dick’s death. I enjoyed many years of carpooling with Dick from Stewartville to IBM, and although I never met most of his children, I certainly heard a lot about them during those years. Molly, we also moved to Rochester recently, but have been strictly staying at home, so will have to miss the funeral. We pray for God’s blessing and peace at this sorrowful time - Dick was a great guy, and I know you will miss him greatly.
Molly and family, So sorry to hear of Dick's passing. We so enjoyed the time we spent together at Rancho Resort. He was a fun guy and I know he will be missed by all who knew and loved him. RIP Dick.
John and Avis Janes
Dear Molly and family,
We are so sorry for your loss of Dick. We will miss our friend. We don't feel comfortable coming into crowds so we won't be able to say goodbye to Dick in person. We will be praying for Dick's repose and family peace. We will be sending a memorial to Holy Spirit Parish.
God's blessings, Sandi and George
My wife Carol and I had the pleasure of becoming good friends of Richard and Molly when we lived in Rochester during my residency. Its difficult to remember Dick as an individual because for us Dick and Molly were an inseparable pair of wonderful people, more than peas in a pod, they were the pod. A pod which they selflessly filled with anyone in need regardless of creed, color or nation. They lived to foster community by caring for everyone's kids with a sense of determination duty and kindness that seems so lacking in our communities these days. They never did it for recognition or financial gain, they did it because they loved our children and recognized that the only way to a better future starts with how we teach our children tolerance, understanding as well as the three Rs. We will always treasure counting them among our friends. To Molly, it breaks our heart to say goodbye to your other half, but we know that while you are still around his kindness and love still resides in you.
Tom, Dan, Marty & The Pingel family, my heartfelt condolences to you all in the passing of your father. Thinking of you in this during this difficult time.
Troy Mickelson
The Pingels and Aces were fast friends and we celebrated many Christmas's, weddings and get togethers through out our lives. To say that Dick will be missed, doesn't seem to cover how special he and his family are to our family. What a fabulous friend he was to our parents through out their lives, but he and Molly's love of them was most evident in the past several years of their lives.
I will miss his laughter, it was contagious. I will miss how he used to love to pull one over on my Dad. Heaven is most assuredly filled with all the joy he brings to each and every person whose life he has touched. I picture him with all that went before him, but most especially my Dad and Mom who left us just months ago. I wish I could witness that reunion.
We are so very sorry for your loss Molly, Paula, Teresa, Tom, Kathleen, Dan, Marty and Joe - he was an amazing man and we are all better for having shared in his tremendous life.
Debbie Ace-Lipke
I will never forget Richard. He was my first neighbor when I moved to Rochester, MN from Gainesville, FL to start residency. I remember going outside to water my flowers, and we would talk about IBM back in the day, politics, and Mayo. Richard had a kind soul and friendly demeanor. I am so thankful that Molly and Richard were my first neighbors and I embarked on a decade long life in Minnesota. He will be greatly missed by family, but also by the many people, like me, who just enjoyed his company and conversation. Rest In Peace. With love, Deanna Pafundi
I worked with Dick during my tenure at IBM Rochester. He was a great guy who always tried to do what was right. RIP my friend.
Molly, and family, Sending hugs, love, and blessings.
Molly and family, we send our love and prayers. John & Judy