Obit: Turenne, Richard Arthur (1926 - 2022)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Turenne, Henchen, Kozleuchar, Biser, Engelhardt, Wallace, Sandhiyagu

----Source: Cuddie Funeral Home (Thorp, Clark Co., WI) 2/01/2022

Turenne, Richard Arthur (10 September 1926 – 26 January 2022) With Flag

Richard A. Turenne, 95, of Thorp, peacefully passed away in his sleep at home on Wednesday, January 26, 2022.


Richard Arthur Turenne was born on September 10, 1926, in Thorp, to Joseph E. and Elsie E. (Henchen) Turenne. He was raised and received his education in Thorp, graduating from Thorp High School in 1944. He played on the Thorp High School basketball team and helped the team win their first Cloverbelt Championship. Richard grew up with a passion for fishing and hunting. He eventually went to Seattle to work in the shipyards. It was there that he was drafted into the U.S. Army on March 21, 1945. He ended up in Germany and served until his honorable discharge on November 15, 1946. In 1948, he left Thorp and headed to West Allis, where he got a job at Allis Chalmers as a welder.

Richard met his wife Nancy, and they married in 1954. Together they raised a family of six, and he eventually retired after 32 years. In 1979, he purchased a tavern and a health food store on a corner lot in Greenfield. Richard ran the tavern, and his wife ran the health food store. They sold the businesses and moved back to Thorp in 1990. There he was able to spend time with his mother, Elsie, and his brothers, Robert and Ray.

In 1954, Richard and his brother, Ramon, purchased a small cabin located in North Central Wisconsin. Every year Richard, family and friends would come together throughout the summer and fall to enjoy all the Cabin had to offer. Fishing, hunting, canoeing, swimming and hiking were just a few of the things that made the Cabin a special place for all. One of his favorite memories was fishing Lake Erie and Canada for walleye.

Richard was a funny man and always had stories to tell One of his favorite stories is about a bear and a horse. As the story goes, a bear was shot deep in the woods and the only way to get it out was to attach it to one of the horses and drag it out. The driver said, “Giddy Up.” The horse took one glance at the bear and got so excited it took off just a running as fast as it could. They eventually found the bear, as the rope broke, and the horse was found a long ways away.

Richard is survived by two sons: Timothy T. Turenne and Joe R .Turenne; one daughter: Cynthia M. (Leonard) Kozleuchar; 18 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; one brother: Roger W. (Josephine) Turenne; one sister: Maxine J. (James) Biser; numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife: Nancy J. (Engelhardt) Turenne in 2005; one son: Alan J. Turenne in 2006; two daughters: Gail A. Turenne in 2002 and Lynn L. Turenne in 2011; two brothers: Robert L. Turenne in 2016, Ramon J. Turenne in 2000; and one sister: Patricia L. (Turenne) Wallace in 2006.

There will be a Celebration of Life held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 19, 2022, at Thorp Funeral Home, with Rev. Baskaran Sandhiyagu officiating. Visitation will be held at the funeral home, on Saturday, from 10 a.m. until time of service.