Obituary for Richard Alan "Rich" Goettig
Richard (Rich) Alan Goettig (age 67) passed away on July 17, 2019 after suffering a cardiac event.
Rich was born on April 3, 1952 in Worthington, Minnesota to parents Harry and Elvera (Rutzen) Goettig. He was baptized on June 22, 1952 and confirmed on May 7, 1969 at United Methodist Church, Worthington, Minnesota.
Throughout school Rich was an avid athlete, excelling in football and wrestling for the Worthington High School team. He graduated from Worthington High in 1971 and following high school attended Worthington Community College, where he earned his Associate of Arts degree. On May 18, 1974 he married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Leilani (Loni) Rueter, in Worthington, MN and shortly thereafter they settled in Bloomington, Minnesota. Rich and Loni expanded their family in 1982 with the birth of daughter, Jennifer, and again in 1986 with the birth of son, Craig. Rich attended and was an integral part of Atonement Lutheran Church for the last forty-one years.
In Rich’s adult years, he worked at various companies, including T.O. Plastics, Northwest Airlines and The Edina School District. He loved his 17 years with Northwest Airlines and often reminisced about his day to day responsibilities, the treasures left behind on airplanes and delighted in bringing his kids to see the planes up close. Later, he served as a custodian for The Edina School District where he enjoyed interacting with the teachers and students, who fondly referred to him as “Mr. Rich.” He retired from The Edina Schools District in June 2017 after 12 years of service. Retirement freed Rich up to spend time with his precious grandchildren, Tyler and Olivia, and he quickly became an active day care provider to them whenever his schedule would allow, which was almost always. To Rich, family was everything and he did his best to attend every single sporting event, recital, church program, etc. of Jennifer and Craig’s and even later devoted the same dedication to his son-in-law and daughter-in-law’s activities, attending softball games and band gigs. He was the statistician, the coach, the cheerleader and even the heckler and he was a constant support. Rich loved to camp with family, hunt and fish with his son and son-in-law, manicure his yard, celebrate holidays and travel the world with Loni, the kids, extended family and friends. His favorite destinations were Hawaii and Germany.
Rich is survived by his wife, Leilani (Loni) Goettig: his daughter, Jennifer and son-in-law, Matthew (Bell); grandchildren, Tyler and Olivia; his son, Craig and daughter-in-law, Amie (Goettig) and grandchildren Cody and Cole; sister, Valerie Goettig; his mother-in-law, Dolores (Rosenbrook); his in-law siblings and 15 nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, infant twin siblings, and brothers, Ronald and Gary.
It’s hard to believe that we will ever find relief from our grief at the loss of this special man, but a source of comfort has been friends and family sharing fond memories of him either in person or electronically since his passing. We would love to continue to capture stories about Rich via the following link: https://forms.gle/CFSEPkgXcQiJ1ALr7
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the family. All proceeds will be dispersed to various charities important to the Goettig Family.
Service Details:
Visitation: Friday, August 2, 2019 5:00-7:00PM
Visitation: Saturday, August 3, 2019 10:00AM
Funeral: Saturday, August 3, 2019 11:00AM
All services will be held at Atonement Lutheran Church, 601 E 98th Street, Bloomington, MN 55420
Rich was born on April 3, 1952 in Worthington, Minnesota to parents Harry and Elvera (Rutzen) Goettig. He was baptized on June 22, 1952 and confirmed on May 7, 1969 at United Methodist Church, Worthington, Minnesota.
Throughout school Rich was an avid athlete, excelling in football and wrestling for the Worthington High School team. He graduated from Worthington High in 1971 and following high school attended Worthington Community College, where he earned his Associate of Arts degree. On May 18, 1974 he married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Leilani (Loni) Rueter, in Worthington, MN and shortly thereafter they settled in Bloomington, Minnesota. Rich and Loni expanded their family in 1982 with the birth of daughter, Jennifer, and again in 1986 with the birth of son, Craig. Rich attended and was an integral part of Atonement Lutheran Church for the last forty-one years.
In Rich’s adult years, he worked at various companies, including T.O. Plastics, Northwest Airlines and The Edina School District. He loved his 17 years with Northwest Airlines and often reminisced about his day to day responsibilities, the treasures left behind on airplanes and delighted in bringing his kids to see the planes up close. Later, he served as a custodian for The Edina School District where he enjoyed interacting with the teachers and students, who fondly referred to him as “Mr. Rich.” He retired from The Edina Schools District in June 2017 after 12 years of service. Retirement freed Rich up to spend time with his precious grandchildren, Tyler and Olivia, and he quickly became an active day care provider to them whenever his schedule would allow, which was almost always. To Rich, family was everything and he did his best to attend every single sporting event, recital, church program, etc. of Jennifer and Craig’s and even later devoted the same dedication to his son-in-law and daughter-in-law’s activities, attending softball games and band gigs. He was the statistician, the coach, the cheerleader and even the heckler and he was a constant support. Rich loved to camp with family, hunt and fish with his son and son-in-law, manicure his yard, celebrate holidays and travel the world with Loni, the kids, extended family and friends. His favorite destinations were Hawaii and Germany.
Rich is survived by his wife, Leilani (Loni) Goettig: his daughter, Jennifer and son-in-law, Matthew (Bell); grandchildren, Tyler and Olivia; his son, Craig and daughter-in-law, Amie (Goettig) and grandchildren Cody and Cole; sister, Valerie Goettig; his mother-in-law, Dolores (Rosenbrook); his in-law siblings and 15 nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, infant twin siblings, and brothers, Ronald and Gary.
It’s hard to believe that we will ever find relief from our grief at the loss of this special man, but a source of comfort has been friends and family sharing fond memories of him either in person or electronically since his passing. We would love to continue to capture stories about Rich via the following link: https://forms.gle/CFSEPkgXcQiJ1ALr7
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the family. All proceeds will be dispersed to various charities important to the Goettig Family.
Service Details:
Visitation: Friday, August 2, 2019 5:00-7:00PM
Visitation: Saturday, August 3, 2019 10:00AM
Funeral: Saturday, August 3, 2019 11:00AM
All services will be held at Atonement Lutheran Church, 601 E 98th Street, Bloomington, MN 55420