Richard "Dick" Kalina

On September 14, 2025 Richard (Dick) J Kalina surrendered his mortal coil. Lifelong Batavian and “go-to” neighbor in Batavia and at Armour Lake, Wisconsin, Dick delighted in sharing stories about growing up in Batavia’s tightly knit  community as well as Fox River and Armour Lake fishing stories . After marrying Barbara Ann Gebes in 1960, he moved a block west of his boyhood home, where he and Barbara raised their 6 children. He served in the US Navy during WWII on the island of Saipan. Following the lead of his father and brothers, Dick  avidly fished the Fox River as a young man, enjoyed several fishing trips to Canada, with his son John and brother Bob, the Caribbean waters of Belize, and the northern Wisconsin waters of Armour Lake. From his teen years he belonged to more than one bowling league at the original Batavia Bowl where he perfected his delivery until his family began to grow in number.

 Dick joined the work force at Burgess Norton in Geneva in 1950, retiring in 1993 after 43 years of employment.  

Always ready to give a helping hand, Dick, with red handled hammer in hand joined neighbors in carpentry tasks. His meticulous blueprint style drawings included helping to build lake houses, creating work stations, farm fencing, and decks. He designed and built rocking horses for grandchildren, Christmas ornament boxes, as well as cribbage boards ,cedar chests and occasional tables. 

Family and friends readily recognize “Dick Kalina” actions and quotes: “Nothing beats nature,. “I’ve had a good life so I can’t complain.” “Always happy to see you.” Christmas was his favorite time beginning with buying the tallest tree at the Boy Scout tree sale and taking two days to decorate. Easter egg hunts found him charting and graphing the location of the hidden eggs so that all would be found.

Dick leaves his wife Barbara (nee Gebes) of 65 years, six children and 12 grandchildren: Cynthia  (Bob) Kaminsky of Dunbarton NH; Susan (Erich) Kalina Heinrich of Anchorage, AK; John of Greensboro, NC; Marianne Kalina, Madison, WI; Paul (Fannie) Kalina of Iowa City, IA; Kristine Kalina (Jeremy) Gerard of Westport, CT; Angela  Kaminsky, New York; Matthew Kaminsky,  VA; Marion Heinrich, Boston; June Kalina, Anchorage, AK; Jozi Anderson, Madison, WI; Andy Anderson, NY, NY; George Anderson, San Francisco, CA; Bones Kalina, Iowa City, IA; Levi Kalina, Iowa City, IA; Hattie Rose, Iowa City, IA; Sofi Gerard, Westport, CT; Emanual (Manny) Gerard, Westport CT.

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