RICHARD R. WEISS

Richard R. Weiss, 61, of Villa Park, IL will be greatly missed by his father, Robert B. Weiss, and his sisters, Sue and Laurie. Sharing in their grief are Sue's son, Rob Budak, Laurie's husband, Al Martin, their daughter, Audrey Martin, her wife, Sharon Brosnan, and their children Owen, Reid, and Laine. Rick was predeceased by his mother, Theresa S. Weiss (nee Allie), and his brother-in-law, Mark W. Budak. Rick was a self-made man, who leveraged his love of computers and an associate degree from DeVry Institute into a software engineering career, working at technology companies including GTE Automatic Electric, Zenith, Compel, Bell Labs, and Motorola. Although Rick's career took him to many countries, including England, Ireland, China, Japan, Spain, and India, he was happiest when visiting Key Largo, Florida, with his friends, John, Amy, Steve, Sue, Herb, and their families, and riding on his jet skis, scuba diving, fishing, and cooking his catch. Rick will be remembered most for how generous he was with his time. Everyone has a story of something that Rick taught them or time he spent helping them repair something. Rick was especially proud of teaching people how to manage their diabetes when he served on the Diabetes Advisory Committee at Elmhurst Hospital. Rick always had a special affinity for children; perhaps because he retained the ability to play his entire life. Audrey and her family fondly recall Rick's pterodactyl calls and a certain bet about a very large piece of apple pie, and Rob remembers his Uncle Rick in the yard driving his gas-powered remote-control car and firing his Bangsite cannon. Rick also became Santa annually for the children of his friends. Among his many hobbies were magic, photography, gunmaking, bowling, bike riding, motorcycle riding, making fireworks, fishing, waterskiing, snow skiing, paintball, piloting his dad's private plane, and Frisbee golf. In recent years, cooking gourmet meals for his family and friends was his passion, and many will miss his strawberry crepes and beef jerky. A funeral mass for the immediate family will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Church in Lombard, IL at 10:00am on Saturday, June 6, 2020. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages you to remember Rick by enjoying a hobby with your friends or making a contribution to your favorite charity in his honor. Though Rick is gone, his family is certain that his ability to help others is far from over #withlovefromrick. The family also asks relatives and friends to share a memory on the Tribute Wall at Knollcrest Funeral Home, www.knollcrest.net.