Richard J. Nowak

Richard J. Nowak, 79 of Gaylord, passed away at home on Thursday, January 28, 2016. Born in Saginaw on February 25, 1936, he was the son of Felix and Lottie (Fluder) Nowak.

Richard moved to Gaylord with his family when he was 9 years old and he attended St. Mary School.

On September 8, 1956 he married Dorothy M. Francis as St. Thomas Catholic Church in Elmira.

For more than 29 years he worked in maintenance at Hidden Valley. He also worked over the years at Gaylord Feed & Grain and at Gapinski Cement.

An avid hunter and fisherman, Richard especially enjoyed fishing trips to Canada with his son, Pat and son-in-law, Keith. He also enjoyed camping with friends, Linda and Hans Meyer. He was a skilled woodworker, an avid fan of Detroit Red Wings hockey and Tigers baseball and he enjoyed the cruises he and Dorothy went on together. He also enjoyed the winters they spent together in Eustis, Florida the last several years.

Richard is survived by Dorothy, his wife of almost 60 years; his daughters, Sue (Keith) Sides and Kelly Pelach both of Gaylord; his sons, Ken Nowak of Tulsa, OK and Pat Nowak of Gaylord; grandchildren, Amanda (Mick), Alex, Amy (Joe), Logan, Tyler, Morgan, Dakota, Abby, Timmy and Aedan; great grandchildren, Samantha, Caleb, Collin, Lyanna “Lilly”, Gabe, Madalyn, Caden and Ava. Also surviving are brothers, Eugene (Nancy) Nowak of Washington, MI, Jack (Sandra) Nowak of Lapeer and James (Kathy) Nowak of Hilton Head, SC; a brother-in-law, Earl Greenman of Eustis, FL; and many nieces and nephews. Richard was preceded in death by a son, Dennis; a brother, Jerome; a sister, Bernadine Greenman; a son-in-law, Paul Pelach and a grandson, Ben Sides.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM Friday, February 5, 2016 at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Vanderbilt where the family will visit with friends beginning at 10:00 AM. Those who wish are asked to consider memorial contributions to Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Vanderbilt or to St. Mary Cathedral School in Gaylord.

Arrangements are by Gaylord Community Funeral Home & Cremation Service. Please share your memories and personal messages with the family at www.gaylordfuneralhome.com