Richard Kohnke

I was so very sorry and shocked to hear about Rich's passing. I went to High School with him. He was always the coolest cat. I was in sports and a total tomboy, most kids never gave me the time of day if you were not in the in crowd but not him. He always had a kind word or joke and always smiling. He was friends and played football with my cousins as well. When I went to one class reunion in 2009 we were teasing about looking like Val Kilmer. Having a mother that had Alzheimer's and...

Rich and I worked together at his first design job after graduating MIAD. He challenged and inspired me and changed the path of my career. Although we lost touch with each other as our lives evolved, I think of him often. My love to Denise and his family.

Rich was a classmate in high school. Rich was great fun in high school. We both enjoyed photography and took photos for our year book. Working in the dark room with him was a hoot. (For the youngsters...once upon a time we used actual film in cameras. We had to develop the film then make prints using an Enlarger and trays of various chemicals. I can still smell that developer!). We sat in the media center with our group laughing and having fun. I haven't seen him in decades, but those...

Driving down St. Paul today, I saw the billboard out of the corner of my eye. I pulled over, was that Rich or was that my imagination? Heart break. Rich and Denise were one of my earliest supporters. I will forever be grateful. But he lives forever in my mind´s eye as the beautiful young art student, cooler than cool, zooming around in his Corvair.

I enjoyed playing softball with Rich back in the day on Wednesday nights at Dyer Field. Rest in Peace my friend.

I am so sorry for your loss. I´ve enjoyed waiting on Richard at Starbucks for many years. He was always so friendly and kind. He will be greatly missed.

Please accept mine and my families deepest sympathy. Rich and our friends in the neighborhood go way back and know we are all saddened by his passing. We hold great and fun memories from those days, that we forever cherished with him and about him. Please know when friends of ours leave us too soon it creates a void in our heart. God bless Rich and your family and our friends who knew him.

What a beautiful obituary. Rich was the husband of my dear friend, Denise, with whom I worked in the late 70's while we were still in college. After I moved to the DC area, I was honored to return to Milwaukee to attend their wedding and to see them on an off over the years. When we got together, it was always as if there had not been so many years between our visits. To me, Rich was a very gracious and kind man, while at the same time exuding confidence and passion. The last time I saw him...

I am shocked and saddened to hear. I got to know Rich in the early 90s through his agency and his brother Dave. Brilliant, cocky, cool...he was the bomb. And always graciously gave me time. I know he was a devoted family man as well. So very sorry to hear of his passing. Blessings to all of his family.