Richard William Kuhnke

Richard Kuhnke was a war baby. He was born Jan. 30, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois, to a large, close-knit family who mostly resided within blocks of one another on the north side. His brother, Jim, was born three years later, providing an ally against the adults in the games children play. Children at that time could play safely outdoors, but there were always grandparents, aunts, uncles, and older cousins to call out to them should they step over the proverbial line. Nevertheless, bounded by Riverview Amusement Park to the west and Wrigley Field to the north, there were lots of opportunities for rascally boys to slip along the train tracks to the ballpark and search for baseballs on its perimeter. In the summer, the families would vacation at a lake in Wisconsin, where the boys could fish, sometimes hooking each other.

Richard’s parents, like so many second and third generation immigrants, moved to the suburbs as they prospered. They bought a Chicago-style bungalow in Evanston, where the family welcomed its third son, Jeff. Richard attended St. George Catholic High School for Boys in Evanston. He played baseball for the school’s team, solidifying his love for the game. He also became a bowler, a sport that he continued to play well into middle-age.

After high school, he was drafted into the Army, serving in Viet Nam where he unloaded cargo ships, and of course, took a few side trips. Upon his return to civilian life, Richard worked for Richard-Allan Medical Supply. The company sent him to IBM, where he learned to program mainframes—a skill he later translated to personal computer programming skills. He ended his career in programming and consultation for InfoMan, an accounting software business.

Richard was a doting father to Melissa, Charlie, and Kate. As the children grew, he spent time after dinner each night with the children. He always had silly magic tricks, a game show to watch with them on TV, or outdoor things to do. He built a rope swing between two trees in the side yard for them, kites of all sizes and shapes, including a 6-foot styrofoam box kite that crashed spectacularly into bits and pieces, and a 15-foot teepee that was the envy of the other kids in the neighborhood. Kate learned simple computer programming from her dad when she was three. He was an assistant Cub Scout leader for a time, and he and Charlie worked together on Charlie’s Pinewood Derby cars. He scared Melissa as an infant when he grew a mustache during a weekend away from her, and shocked Kate when she saw him for the first time without a mustache when she was a teenager.

Richard loved attending soccer matches and swim meets for the children, laughing mightily when Kate, as a five-year-old, and her friend, Dawn, stood chatting in the backfield while the soccer ball dribbled past them. He loved helping his children make snowmen in winter, and fishing with them in rowboats in summer. He, the most graceful of bowlers on his approach and release, taught his children to bowl, and burst with pride at all they did.

He unconditionally loved his granddaughters, too. He most fortunately got to see Meghan and Liana at swim meets and ski races. He attended most of Liana’s softball games once he and Lin moved back to Kalamazoo after 22 years.

Lin, the children and grandchildren, his brothers, and sisters-in-law will deeply miss this kind, gentle man with his love of tinkering and enthusiasm for family and home.