David Lee Richardson died peacefully from Alzheimer’s Disease on July 28, 2020 at Woodland Hill in Hudson, Wisconsin, at 80 years of age.

Dave was born October 4, 1939, in River Falls, Wisconsin, to Lee and Vern Richardson. Growing up in Spring Valley, Wisconsin, Dave enjoyed a classic small-town childhood. He kept busy serving as an altar boy at the local Catholic church; attending school; playing baseball, football, and basketball; and having fun getting into mischief with his siblings and friends.

In June 1961, Dave married Sandra Jacenko. They raised their 3 children in River Falls, Wisconsin, where Dave was involved with the local Jaycees, St. Bridget’s Catholic Church, and, of course, making lifelong friends everywhere he went.

As an adult, Dave never lost his love for sports. He played golf, watched countless games on television, and officiated football and basketball games. After a knee injury ended his officiating career, he enjoyed local sporting events where he could yell opinions and corrections to referees on the field or court.

After years in various sales and training positions, Dave discovered a vocation that would become his passion… helping people in business with “emotional” tools. The tagline of his business, Affective Awareness, was “People Helping People Perform.” In 1982, Dave’s business led him to relocate to Madison, Wisconsin, where he would live the next 34 years. In Madison, Dave cultivated his love for Badger sports, particularly football and men’s basketball. Dave owned multitudes of Badger gear so he would always be appropriately dressed for each and every event. He traveled long distances for work and loved to stop by to visit friends and family along the way.

The great joy of Dave’s life was his four grandchildren. His granddaughter Kaitlin was the love of his life. An inseparable pair, Gramps and Kaitlin shared many adventures in Madison, traveling to New York, Seattle, and all around. When Kaitlin was married in 2018, it was Dave’s great honor to walk her down the aisle. Dave also loved spending time with his energetic grandsons. Dave never tired of traveling to River Falls to attend school events, give baseball tips, watch games, and just spend time with his grandkids before they grew too cool to spend time with their grandpa.

Dave is survived by his son, David Lee (Christine) Richardson, Jr.; daughter, Jennifer (Alan) O’Neill; grandchildren Kaitlin (Trenton) Beighley, William, Benjamin, and Jonathan O’Neill; siblings Robert (Mary Ann) Richardson, Donald (Mary) Richardson, Susan (David) Reese, and Bill (Julie) Richardson, many nieces, nephews, and friends. Although divorced many years ago, Dave is survived by Sandy, the mother of his children.

Dave was predeceased by his parents, his new-found brother Robert Smith and sister-in-law Dorothy Smith; sister Mary Jo Spence; son Ken; and granddaughter Olivia.

Dave lived a life full of faith in God, family, friends, and more fun than we can express. He will be missed by scores of family and friends, but memories of David will be a blessing forever.

A Graveside Service will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Spring Valley, WI, with Fr. Jerry Harris officiating the service. Memorials are preferred to the UW-Madison Badger Fund at https://www.supportuw.org/how-to-give/area-program/athletics/

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