Richard Wack

WACK, RICHARD (DICK), 84 of Sebring, FL died December 9, 2009. He was born in Bazetta Twsp, Ohio moving to Sebring in 1935 from Niles, Ohio, a graduate of Sebring High School, class of 1943 and valedictorian of his class. Retired contractor, Wack Construction; auxiliary officer for Sebring Police Department. Dick loved the great outdoors and enjoyed hunting. He is survived by son, Richard (Dickie)and wife, Ginny) Wack, Jr, Littleton, CO; daughters, Mary McClelland and Karen and husband, Mitch Gonzales all of Sebring; step-sons, Bobby and Ricky Dutton; brother, David Wack, Niles, OH; eight grandchildren, eighteen great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren. Visitation, 2 :00 pm to 4:00 pm, Sunday. Services 11:00 am, Monday at Morris Funeral Chapel. Burial will follow at Pinecrest Cemetery. Memorials are to requested to Alzheimers Association, 228 N. Ridgewood Dr., Sebring, FL 33870.

Condolences or Life Stories may be expressed in his Guestbook.





Facts

Born: March 18, 1925
Place of Birth: Bazetta Twsp., OH
Death: December 9, 2009
Place of Death: Sebring, FL
Occupation: Building Contractor

Survived By

Richard (Ginny) Wack Jr. (Dickie), Son
Mary McClelland, Daughter
Karen J. (Mitch) Gonzales, Daughter



Life Stories

Life of Dick Wack - December 11, 2009
Posted: December 11, 2009 | Last Revised: December 11, 2009

Richard (Dick) Wack was born on March 18, 1925, in Bazetta Township, Ohio, to Phillip and Anna (Hoperich) Wack. He was the oldest of four children. He has one brother, David Edson Wack, who lives in Ohio. He was predeceased by his brother Phillip Robert Wack, sister Marjorie (Wack) Tauchen and her husband Donald Tauchen. Marjorie passed away December 8, Dad passed away on December 9, and Donald passed away on December 10. How neat are their dates-Dad introduced them and he still remained in the middle! Dad moved to Sebring when he was 10 years old for health reasons. He lived with his Aunt Honey, Uncle Edward, and cousin Woodrow (Woody) Harshman until he graduated from Sebring High School in 1943. He loved Woody with all his heart and always missed him dearly. He was the valedictorian of his graduating class. He won the Bailey Medal of Honor and Science Award. He played the French horn in the SHS band under the direction of Prof. Gustat. Prof. Gustat was his all around favorite person in his youth and dad admired him his whole life. Dad was married on June 9, 1945, to Margaret (Peggy) Wack. They had three children: Karen, Mary and Dickie. Mom passed away in 1969. Later on he married our other mother, Shirley (Spooner) Wack. She passed away in 1998. The three of us were very blessed with our parents. On March 4, 2001, his oldest grandchild, Debbie Hawkey, passed away. That broke his heart. We know he is reunited with her in Heaven and also that all the loved ones who passed before him are waiting for him. What a homecoming that will be! His parents, Mom, Shirley, brother, sister and her husband, son-in-law, Tommy McClelland, nephew Phil Wack, his best friend Joe Stiles are all there waiting to greet him. He owned his own construction business, Dick Wack Construction, for many years. He built beautiful, well constructed homes that he was always proud to show off. In fact, he was prone to take people on tours of homes he had built. Luckily, his customers were happy to let him show their homes. Dad's specialty was building fireplaces with various kinds of stones. He built a fire pit (grill) at Yianni's Restaurant when he was over eighty years old. The homes and fireplaces that he built are a lasting memorial to him. Dad was an avid hunter and sportsman. He was among the first to start Swamp Buggy racing in 1962. He raced in the Green Grasshopper. He also indulged in drag racing for awhile in the Golden Nugget. He was also instrumental in helping start the Highlands Muzzle Stuffers. He loved to hunt...turkeys especially. His favorite thing was to go to the Colorado Mountains on the hunting trips with Dickie. Dad loved the mountains and nature. One of his other favorite things to do was to have barbeques, fix a ton of food, and have lots of people to come fellowship with him and enjoyed the food he had prepared. The three of us: Karen, Mary, and Dickie have many wonderful memories of our Dad. We will always love him dearly and miss him forever. It truly warms our hearts to hear people speak so highly of Dad. It is always a joy to hear all the stories people have about him. Dad lived a good life. He was a wonderful man who was loved and admired by many.