Richard Wesley Dutrisac

Dick Dutrisac, 85, surrounded by his wife and three children, died peacefully on May 17, 2024. He was born on March 14, 1939 to his mother, Trae, and his father, Wesley, and grew up in Wausau. Dick and his sister were raised by their mother who worked full time at Sears & Roebuck.

Dick’s love of sports was evident early on as he played on sandlot baseball teams and attended minor league baseball games, oftentimes meeting visiting teams at their hotel, offering to be their batboy and getting to ride on the team bus to the stadium. He later sold peanuts and popcorn and one year, while in high school, was the PA announcer.

He played safety and quarterback for Wausau High School’s football team before back surgery prevented him from playing his senior season. He continued playing basketball though, which was his favorite sport. His 44 points scored in a game was (and perhaps still is?) a Wausau High School record. He was very touched and honored to be inducted into the Wausau East (as it’s been renamed) High School Hall of Fame in December, 2022 for his accomplishments in sports, particularly basketball.

Dick earned a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Wisconsin, where he was also a marketing major and a member of Chi Psi fraternity. His love of all things “Wisconsin Badgers” remained for his entire life.

He married his high school sweetheart, Joanie, in 1963, a marriage that lasted 61 years. The love story they shared took them through high school and college together and to various stops in Minnesota and Deerfield, Ill., as he and Joanie started a family with two sons and a daughter.

While working for Baxter in medical sales, a promotion moved the family to Orange County, Calif. in 1976 and in 1979 he and his business partner formed a new company, PFE, Inc., that experienced great success for 25 plus years. The leadership qualities that were evident in junior high, high school and college carried through to his personal life and business career as he held many and various leadership roles. Over the years, he seemed to enjoy his time equally on the lake in Minocqua, with family in North Tustin, Calif. and on the golf course in La Quinta, Calif.

His natural warmth and generosity were evident to everyone he came across. He will surely be missed by his golf partners, his fishing buddies, his skiing pals, his gin group, his fraternity brothers and the many other friends he so easily made … all who simply referred to him by his nickname “Sac.”

He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and will be missed most of all by his family. He is survived by his wife Joanie, his son Rich and Amy Dutrisac (Jake and Molly), his son Jud and Sheryl Dutrisac (Laura and Matt), his daughter Laura and Joe Phillips (Emma, Sara and Andrew) and his sister Diane Moe of Minnetonka, Minn.

The family will always cherish his kindness, his humility, his sense of humor and the love he showed them through his constant encouragement and unwavering positivity. Rest in peace, pa.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Wisconsin Men’s Basketball program:

Payable to: UW Foundation, memo line: Men’s Basketball Fund, mailing address: UW Foundation, US Bank Lockbox, Box 78807 Milwaukee, WI 53278-0807.