Obituary for Richard Eugene "Dick" Panten
On Friday, January 8, 2021, Richard “Dick” E. Panten, loving husband and father of seven, passed away at the age of 81, surrounded by his family.
Those he leaves behind to cherish his memory include his wife Jan; children, Lisa, Mike (Connie), Steve (Michelle Nusbaum), LeAnne Dietrich, Rick Jr., Kevin (Niki), and Janelle (Craig) Stevenson; grandchildren, Trevor, Caiti, Julia (Tom), Adam, Lauren, Ben, Kyle and Holly. He is further survived by many sisters- and brothers-in-law, other relatives and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, Ray and Katherine (nee Wick) Giencke; and son-in-law, Cale Dietrich.
Dick was born on October 3, 1939, the only child of Benjamin and Frances (Held) Panten. He married Janet Giencke on September 14, 1963. Slinger was Dick’s forever home, living over 80 years in the same house on Elm Street. He was a lifelong member of St. Peter Parish and Mass server until just before he was married. He dedicated over 25 years to Slinger Manufacturing and was very active in the Union.
Dick enjoyed many hobbies, especially bowling, wood working, crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and cooking. He played countless hours of card games and Cribbage with family and friends over the years.
He loved his sports and followed NASCAR with particular passion. He was a steadfast Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jr. fan. He made up for that with a quiet wit and charm. Dick was a man of few words and chose his opportunities to speak judiciously. But when he did speak, you either laughed out loud or learned something. Someone recently said it best by describing him as “the quiet strength of the family.”
To describe Dick is to define patience. He never seemed rushed to do anything or go anywhere. He was the epitome of “measure twice and cut once”…and for heaven’s sakes don’t be afraid to take a break in-between! There wasn’t a bitter bone in the man’s body, either. He had his opinions and that’s just what they were…his. He didn’t force them on anyone but had the patience to sip his beer and listen when someone else felt the need to force their opinion on him.
On the special occasion you could get Dick to open up about a childhood memory, he painted a glorious picture of a carefree, imaginative, all-American—and slightly mischievous—boy. But never, ever was he mean or hurtful. As a dad, he was the kind of guy who would come up with nicknames for his kids’ friends. And his kids’ friends often had a nickname for him.
And finally, he was so very proud of his children. Emotion for him seemed hard to come by. But to watch him talk about his kids and grandkids…you had not witnessed the look of love and true pride until you’d seen the sparkle in his eyes. He never missed a beat in any of their lives. If you thought he missed a great catch or seeing your A-minus in social studies, he didn’t. It just wasn’t his turn to tell you how proud he was.
Rest in peace, Pops, “Grumps”.
The Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, January 20 at 4:00 PM at St. Peter Catholic Church (200 E Washington St., Slinger). There will not be a Visitation at this time. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Peter Parish (208 E Washington St, Slinger, WI 53086).
The Mass will be live streamed on the Phillip Funeral Home Facebook page. You may also view the Mass at the church YouTube page. Please copy this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPn8Iq69a9A&feature=youtu.be
Those he leaves behind to cherish his memory include his wife Jan; children, Lisa, Mike (Connie), Steve (Michelle Nusbaum), LeAnne Dietrich, Rick Jr., Kevin (Niki), and Janelle (Craig) Stevenson; grandchildren, Trevor, Caiti, Julia (Tom), Adam, Lauren, Ben, Kyle and Holly. He is further survived by many sisters- and brothers-in-law, other relatives and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, Ray and Katherine (nee Wick) Giencke; and son-in-law, Cale Dietrich.
Dick was born on October 3, 1939, the only child of Benjamin and Frances (Held) Panten. He married Janet Giencke on September 14, 1963. Slinger was Dick’s forever home, living over 80 years in the same house on Elm Street. He was a lifelong member of St. Peter Parish and Mass server until just before he was married. He dedicated over 25 years to Slinger Manufacturing and was very active in the Union.
Dick enjoyed many hobbies, especially bowling, wood working, crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and cooking. He played countless hours of card games and Cribbage with family and friends over the years.
He loved his sports and followed NASCAR with particular passion. He was a steadfast Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jr. fan. He made up for that with a quiet wit and charm. Dick was a man of few words and chose his opportunities to speak judiciously. But when he did speak, you either laughed out loud or learned something. Someone recently said it best by describing him as “the quiet strength of the family.”
To describe Dick is to define patience. He never seemed rushed to do anything or go anywhere. He was the epitome of “measure twice and cut once”…and for heaven’s sakes don’t be afraid to take a break in-between! There wasn’t a bitter bone in the man’s body, either. He had his opinions and that’s just what they were…his. He didn’t force them on anyone but had the patience to sip his beer and listen when someone else felt the need to force their opinion on him.
On the special occasion you could get Dick to open up about a childhood memory, he painted a glorious picture of a carefree, imaginative, all-American—and slightly mischievous—boy. But never, ever was he mean or hurtful. As a dad, he was the kind of guy who would come up with nicknames for his kids’ friends. And his kids’ friends often had a nickname for him.
And finally, he was so very proud of his children. Emotion for him seemed hard to come by. But to watch him talk about his kids and grandkids…you had not witnessed the look of love and true pride until you’d seen the sparkle in his eyes. He never missed a beat in any of their lives. If you thought he missed a great catch or seeing your A-minus in social studies, he didn’t. It just wasn’t his turn to tell you how proud he was.
Rest in peace, Pops, “Grumps”.
The Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, January 20 at 4:00 PM at St. Peter Catholic Church (200 E Washington St., Slinger). There will not be a Visitation at this time. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Peter Parish (208 E Washington St, Slinger, WI 53086).
The Mass will be live streamed on the Phillip Funeral Home Facebook page. You may also view the Mass at the church YouTube page. Please copy this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPn8Iq69a9A&feature=youtu.be