Richard Vander Wegen

It is with deep sorrow that the family of Richard Peter Vander Wegen announces his sudden passing at the age of 72, on the morning of February 18, 2026, due to a rapid onset of pancreatic cancer.
Rick was a beloved father, brother, uncle & son and was preceded in death by his father, Richard A. Vander Wegen, and mother, Audrey V. Vander Wegen. He is survived by his son, Adam Vander Wegen, and his sisters Mary (Critter) Crittenden, Barbara (Mark) Godfrey, Patty (Doug) Wade, Betty (John) Robertson and Annie (Dan) Peery, along with several nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews.
Rick retired from Hewlett Packard, after a very successful 21 year career as a Lead Computer Engineer, where he served as the "Go to Guy". Rick's co-workers and employees at stores he frequented described him as kind, polite, helpful and caring. He was chosen to work from home far before teleworking was embraced by the industry. This was a testament to HP management's strong confidence in Rick's unquestionable integrity and strong work ethic.
Prior to his career at HP, Rick was a Computer Science Professor at Sac State and established the Vander Wegen Academy of Gymnastics where he trained budding gymnasts of all levels. In fact, Rick dedicated over 15 years to coaching gymnastics for both high school and club teams and was extremely well thought of by both parents and his students.
Prior to coaching, Rick competed in gymnastics for several years at Encina High School and Sac State where he participated in All Around (all 6 men's events) and was a particularly impressive standout on rings, for which he won many awards for his excellence.
Rick was a loyal fan of the 49ers and Sacramento Kings, regardless of their win/loss record, and enjoyed tinkering around the house as he was quite adept at fixing things and problem solving.
Perhaps, most importantly, Rick was an extremely caring person who loved his son fiercely as well as his entire family and his dog, Rosie.
He enjoyed coaching his son's basketball, baseball and soccer teams and welcomed his son's friends and cousins whenever they needed a place to stay. He also had an apartment built onto his home to accommodate his mother, which she resided in until her death.
Rick will be truly missed but his memory will live on eternally in each of our hearts.