It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Richard “Dick” Milkie on March 13, 2026. He was born on April 16th, 1935, in Racine, WI, to Jerome and Alice (Riekkoff) Milkie. He attended St. John’s Sacred Heart and St. Edward’s Grade Schools in Racine. Dick graduated from Racine St. Catherine’s High School in 1953, where he excelled at 3 varsity sports and was named Prom king his senior year. Dick was proud to be inducted into both the St. Catherine’s and St. Joseph halls of fame.
In 1954, Dick met his future wife, Marion Gordon, and they were married on April 28th, 1956. They enjoyed almost 70 years of marriage. In September of 1957, he joined the army but only served for 6 months. Upon arriving home in March of 1958, he and Marion welcomed their first child, a daughter, Lisa, a few weeks later. They would go on to be proud parents of three sons and one more daughter. During that time, Dick was working part-time with his father as a roofer while working full-time at Western Publishing Company in Racine. In 1957, Dick’s Roof Repair Service was born and remains in the family to this day. He decided to settle down in Kenosha permanently in 1962. In 1975, his part-time roofing business got so busy, he quit his job at Western Publishing and became a full-time roofer.
As his kids were growing up, he started coaching football and basketball at the CYC in 1969. He would go on to coach for 25 more years. In 1972, he started the Small Fry Basketball program in Kenosha and coached it for more than 20 years. He was a positive influence and had a great impact on many children throughout his life.
Dick had a great love of fishing and took many trips to northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Canada. His most treasured experiences were catching walleye in Canada with the Loewen gang and traveling to Lake Buckatabon in northern Wisconsin to fish for crappies at his family’s cabin. Dick had also bought a condo in Naples, FL, and spent many winter months golfing and enjoying the warm weather. For many years, he could be spotted by golfers at Big Oaks, finding golf balls in the rough. He prided himself on finding over 300,000 golf balls, selling many at flea markets.
Dick had a very outgoing and laid-back personality. He loved to tell stories about the old days of his youth. He found great joy in his kids’ and grandkids’ lives through coaching and spectating for decades. Dick was a devout Catholic and a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Kenosha. He helped distribute toys and clothing every Christmas at the church. Dick had a very positive outlook on life. His motto was “Life is just a short vacation.”
Dick is survived by his beloved Wife, Marion Milkie. His 5 children are Lisa (Dick) Pignotti, Rick Milkie, Chris (Pam) Milkie, Jeff (Julie) Milkie, and Jayne Milkie. As well as his cherished 11 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Don (Joan) Milkie, and his sisters-in-law, Donna Strupp and Ev (Bob) Milkie. He is preceded in death by his parents, Jerome and Alice Milkie, his 2 brothers, Robert and Jerome Milkie, brother-in-law Jim Strupp, nephew Robert Milkie Jr., and great-grandson Jacob Hackl. Funeral services were held privately. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to Hospice Alliance.
