Richard Wandschneider

Wandschneider, Richard A. "Rich"
Waunakee: Richard A. Wandschneider "Rich", age 64 passed away peacefully at Oakwood Village West-Hebron Nursing Home in Madison on June 19, 2015 as a result of complications from a rare neurological disease known as Multiple Systems Atrophy.
Rich was born in Buffalo, New York on September 29, 1950. He was the son of Alfred W. and Patricia Ann Bancroft Wandschneider (both deceased) and brother to Barbara Johnson (Stanley) of Geneseo, New York and Linda Gullo (Michael) of Louisville, Kentucky.
Richard grew up mainly in Southern California. He returned to Buffalo with his family when his father's employer relocated them back to New York. In 1968, he graduated from Williamsville High School in Williamsville, New York. However, Rich loved Wisconsin and preferred to return where many of his father's relatives lived. He enrolled and graduated in 1973 from UW-Platteville with a B.S. Industrial Education, with an emphasis on building construction. Later, he relocated to Columbus, Ohio to help take care of his ailing mother. Before she passed away, Rich promised her that he would become an architect. He enrolled in the School of Architecture at the Ohio State University two months after his mother's death and received his Bachelors degree in Architecture in June 1980.
Upon graduation from the Ohio State, he came to Madison and worked for the architectural office of Stuart William Gallagher. Later, from 1983 to 1995, he worked for Marshall Erdman & Associates in Madison as an Architect and Senior Project Designer. He also worked for Flad and Associates as a Project Architect before entering his teaching career.
Rich started teaching as a College Instructor at Madison College from August 1996 until his recent retirement due to his illness in the spring of 2012. Rich found great gratification as a college instructor, mentor and the Department Chair of the Architectural Technician Program. One of his greatest joys of his teaching career was to see his students go on to receive architectural and engineering degrees. He also took great pride when many became registered design professionals.
Rich completed his Master's Degree in Adult Education at UW-Platteville in spring 2003. Years later, he also enjoyed being a member of the Board of Directors at UW-Platteville. Rich also spent time as a Board Member of the Seth Peterson Cottage Conservatory. For five years, he participated in fund raising, investigative demolition, and restoration for the Frank Lloyd Wright designed cottage near Mirror Lake State Park. Rich loved his career in architecture. He was especially fond of architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Richard Meyer and had his own library of their designs.

Rich was an Emeritus member of the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.) and also a member of the Construction Specification Institute (C.S.I.). He also had registered professional licenses in Wisconsin and Minnesota for Architecture along with a Certified Interior Design registration in the State of Minnesota. The local chapter of C.S.I established "The Richard Wandschneider Scholarship" in 2012. This yearly scholarship was created as a tribute to Rich and is given to an outstanding student in the Architectural Technician Program at Madison College. Rich will always be remembered as a respected, admired and dedicated man.
Our family would like to extend gratitude to the care given by the staff at the St. Mary's Care Center (SMCC), Oakwood Village West Nursing Home, the UW Hospital and Clinics and their specialty doctors, Dr. Sarah Best, Dr. Laura Buyan Dent and his two primary care physicians, Dr. Jonuzi and Dr. Mariah Quinn. We also want to thank three special nurses, Karen Marshall, Pat Lohr and Sarah German. These nursing friends were compassionate and instrumental with their experience, advice and kindness in helping our family when we needed help most. Our thanks also to Agrace HospiceCare for their loving care and support. We also express sincere gratitude to our church family at Peace Lutheran Church and many other friends for their prayers and concern for our family during this difficult time. Our deepest appreciation is for the devotion and love that has always been given by our close friends Bill and Joan Mitchell.
Rich is survived by his loving and supportive wife Lori (Proverbs 31:10-31) and his daughter Ali, affectionately nick named by him as "Sweet Pea" and on occasion the little "Spitfire". He is also survived by step son Bryan Meyer living in Florida, his step daughter Jamie (Meyer) Krassow, husband Sean and son Cayden. Other surviving family members as well as Rich's sisters and their families include Rich's in laws; Dick and Mary Jane Dahmen, brother in law Randy Dahmen (Julie), sister in law Linda Meier and many other nephews, nieces.
In lieu of flowers, our family encourages donations to the Restoring Hope Transplant House in Middleton or the UW Organ and Tissue Donation (UW OTD) in honor of our daughter, Ali Wandschneider. Ali was blessed to receive her life saving liver transplant in 2001. Our family will continually "thank God" for this miracle and support their missions.
A visitation will be held from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm on Sunday June 28, 2015 at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 5785 Hwy Q Waunakee, WI 53597. Memorial Services will be at 11:00 am on Monday, June 29th at PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH, 701 Century Ave., Waunakee, WI, with visitation from 10:00 am until the time of service at the church.

Psalm 55:22 "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."


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Winn Cress Funeral Home
5785 Hwy Q Waunakee, WI 53597
(608) 849-4513