Richard “Dick” Gerhardt, age 83, of Hampshire, IL died December 30, 2020. Loving husband of Carol (Tatge) Gerhardt, they were married June 30, 1962 at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Elmhurst, IL where they began their married life. Dick was the son of Paul Gerhardt and Lilli Birndorf Altenbacher.
Dick has two children Julie (Jim) Valentino and Mark (Jill) Gerhardt and was blessed with six grandchildren: Larissa (fiance David Cripe) and Nicholas Valentino and Grace, Ben, Audrey, and Ella Gerhardt. Dick was very proud of his grandchildren and happy that they called him “Opa”, German for Grandpa.
He is survived by his sister Marion (Oscar, deceased) Hinz and preceded in death by his brother Wilbur (Gale). He was very close and caring to Carol’s parents, Ray and Alice Tatge, and Carol’s sister, Judy Gray (all deceased) as well as Judy’s daughter, Heather (David) Niziolek and Heather’s children. He was very fond of Marion and Wilbur’s children, Kristie (Ken, deceased) Johnson, Valerie (Karl) Karth, Jim (Gayle) Gerhardt, Paul Gerhardt, Mickey Gerhardt, Sue (Rob) Held, and all of their children. He is survived by one remaining first cousin, James “Pate” (Nancy) Philip.
Dick and Carol were long time members of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in West Chicago and are current members of Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church in Huntley.
Dick worked as a union carpenter for 42 years as a member of Local 80 (now Local 1) of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. He last worked as an in-house carpenter at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago. Dick served for numerous years in the Army Reserve receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1963 having attained the rank of Staff Sergeant.
His main hobbies were hiking, golfing, and traveling. He and Carol’s last European vacation was a river cruise in 2019. He loved playing in the St. Andrew handbell choir for many years and played bagpipes with the Chicago Highlanders in the Sixties and early Seventies.
A visitation will be held on Thursday, January 7, 2021 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM along with Military Honors and Funeral Services to begin at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM that evening all at Willow Funeral Home & Cremation Care 1415 W. Algonquin Rd., (one mile east of Randall Rd.) Algonquin/Lake in the Hills. (Social distancing and face coverings will be our shared practice during the visitation at the funeral home.)
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Northern Illinois Food Bank will be much appreciated to assist those affected by Covid-19. Checks can be mailed to the Northern Illinois Food Bank, 273 Dearborn Ct., Geneva, IL 60134, where Dick and Carol, as well as other Shepherd of the Prairie families volunteered their time. Envelopes will also be provided at Willow Funeral Home.
Online condolences may be expressed to the family by clicking on Tribute Wall.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Dick Gerhardt, please visit our floral store.