Photo courtesy of Heritage Funeral Home and Cremation Services - Sioux Falls
Oct 28, 1960 - Apr 3, 2025
Rich - is a very nice man and always put a smile. He is always kind and full of energy. It was shock for me to learn from his co-worker just today.
Anna Hengeveld
August 08, 2025 | Sioux Falls, SD
Rich was an all around great man. He was my husband Randy Oien's best friend and best man at our wedding. He will be deeply missed and now with Randy and Rich both up in heaven, they can catch up and reminice about the times they so shared together.
Kimberly Oien
April 13, 2025 | Sioux Falls, SD | Friend
Before we had even met Rich, he was the guy who often rescued us by plowing out the bottom of our driveway after the city plows came by, never accepting payment-saying that would take away the fun of doing it. He later moved next door to us with Jacqui-and I think we and he enjoyed surprising the other by doing the sidewalk. I was complaining on my deck to Rich about the squirrels in the neighborhood that had eaten all my tulip bulbs. He sheepishly admitted he´d been feeding the...
Mike and Candy Wagner
April 07, 2025 | Friend
My deepest condolences. Rich was one of our Same Day Express delivery drivers. He was always so nice and kind.
Deanna McKnight
April 07, 2025 | Brandon, SD
Great guy!
Sorry for your loss.
Scott Schemmel
April 04, 2025 | Harrisburg, SD
Very sorry to hear of Rich passing. Always was great seeing him at the Harrisburg class reunions. He was a great classmate and teammate in football, basketball and track. A very good athlete. You will be missed Rich. Always loved getting text from you.
Todd Oppold.
Todd Oppold
April 04, 2025 | Sioux Falls, SD | Friend
To the Zelenka family:
My deepest sympathy to all of you, in the passing of Rich. The Class of ‘79 just wouldn't have been the same without his good nature, sportsmanship, track and basketball skills! I remember riding bike around Harrisburg back in the ‘70s and would hang out with Rich in his front yard, if he was outside goofing around, and we would shoot a few hoops. He always had a smile on his face and was friendly at all our HS reunions. Just a good human being and classmate. ...
Sue Olson
April 04, 2025 | Vadnais Heights, MN | Classmate
So sorry to hear about Rich. Was a classmate of mine at HHS. My sympathy to the family.
Terri Fink (Mathiesen)
April 04, 2025 | Custer, SD | Classmate
My deepest sympathies to Richie's family. I spent many hours watching him and my brother compete at high school track meets. My condolences.
Vanessa Lohrman Lambert
April 04, 2025 | Sioux Falls, SD | Friend
Richard Zelenka died suddenly at home on April 3, 2025. He was born in Aberdeen, SD, on October 28, 1960, to Donald and Camilla Zelenka. Rich was the youngest in a family with nine children. His six sisters and two brothers made sure he was always entertained and the sisters especially enjoyed helping with his care during those early years. During the mid-1960’s, the family moved to Sioux Falls where Richard started his elementary schooling, riding bicycle and terrorizing the neighborhood with his friends. Sometimes he would follow his sisters down to the nearby horse rental stables, where he learned to ride horses and began his life-long attachment to animals. In 1970, the family moved a couple miles south of Sioux Falls to an acreage and this was when Richard entered the Harrisburg School System, graduating from Harrisburg High School in 1979. During his senior year, he set a new South Dakota State Triple-Jump record that lasted many years before being broken again.
Richard had many interests and hobbies that gave him a full social life and often lead to new friends. He was a loyal friend who would help you out with any project or chore. You could always talk about any sport with him, and he was the first in the family to play Fantasy Football. Anytime a bird flew by, he would have to tell you what kind it was. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing and just sitting watching the squirrels in the backyard.
Over the years, Richard worked at several different businesses, often going back to see his old co-workers and keeping in touch with them. On February 29, 2000, he married Jacqueline L. Pfister. Together, they would often visit and help out both of their mothers with their yards, home repairs or “to do” lists.
Richard is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, sister-in-law Heidi Schultz, mother-in-law Paula Williamson, brothers Patrick (Nancy) Zelenka and William (Elaine) Marsh, and sisters Kathryn Gregoire, Carol (Mel) Klein, Nadine Wilson, Julie (Dennis) Beusch, and Jane (Don) Mathew/Zelenka, plus many nephews & nieces.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Anita (Paul Lines) Zelenka, and a nephew, Brett Robb.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society.
There are no services planned at this time.
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