Richard L. Timm

Richard L. (Dick) Timm, 88, of Mount Prospect, Illinois, died on Good Friday, April 18th 2025, surrounded by family after a short battle with cancer. Assured of his eternal salvation, he was happy and content to spend the month after his diagnosis reaching out to lifelong friends to say goodbye and tell them how much their friendship meant to him. Dick is survived by his wife of 65 years Elaine, children Sue and Rick, and grandchildren Tim and Samantha.
Dick was born on February 17, 1937 in Oak Park, IL to Anne and Raymond Timm and was the older brother to Ronald Timm, who all preceded him in death. He lived his entire life in the Chicago area. Dick briefly attended Wilbur Wright College and served honorably in the Army Reserves for 6 years. His 40+ year career was spent in Information Technology, most of which was in the railroad industry with the Milwaukee Road, where coworkers were more like family. He started on mainframes that filled large rooms and watched the field evolve into personal computers and the dreaded cell phone.
His greatest joy was participating in AWANA clubs at the North Side Gospel Center as a child and then going on to spend decades as a youth leader; he impacted the lives of thousands of kids in his ministries. Dick shared Father Flanagan's sentiment that "there is no such thing as a bad boy." He spent over 40 summers as a leader and activity director at Camp AWANA in Fredonia, WI. His favorite camp activity was the daily softball games. In the early years he earned the affectionate nickname of "Groucho" from campers, which was more recently traded in for "Grandpa." Volunteering at The Buddy Foundation and Heartland Animal Shelter was a pastime in his retirement. He adopted several dogs and had a particular fondness for collies. Home improvement and building things were longtime hobbies and he had the most immaculate basement shop friends had ever seen.
A service to celebrate Dick's life will be held on Saturday, May 24, 2025 from 1-3 p.m. at Kolssak Funeral Home in Wheeling, IL. All are welcome. Please dress comfortably. If you have a favorite Camp AWANA, dog, or railroad themed shirt or hat please wear it in his honor. We will stream the celebration on Facebook Live around 1:30 p.m. and it will be recorded for out-of-town friends. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite Christian camp, local AWANA club, church, or animal cause in his memory.