Richard Frank Teegen

Obituary for Richard F. Teegen July 30,1930- September 7,2026 Richard Frank Teegen was born on July 30, 1930 to Dr. William G. and Bernice Teegen in Davenport Iowa. Dick was the second son of three boys William and John and one sister Marilee. At the age of nine the YMCA became a significant part of Dick's life following the traumatic death of his mother to polio. He attended YMCA Camp Abe Lincoln on the Mississippi River first as a camper at age 9 later as a junior staff. In the summer of 1946, he met a young 4H girl from Muscatine County. Her name was Evelyn Hoopes. They peeled potatoes together for KP duty and enjoyed a week of all the fun activities that the YMCA camp provided. Five years later, they rekindled their connection when meeting again at Iowa State University. Dick and Evelyn were married on August 9, 1952. Dick was always energetic with a positive attitude. His strong work ethic was remarkable beginning with his paper route at eleven years old. His high school job working on a dairy farm milking 75 Holstein cows was especially formative. After graduating from Davenport High School in 1948, Dick attended Iowa State University majoring in dairy and food science and graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Dick received a United States Army commission as second lieutenant and served two years of military service in Indiana, Oklahoma and Colorado. He began his business career of over 35 years in the dairy and food industry having served two smaller companies before joining Economics Laboratory in 1967. He ended his career as Vice President of Sales USA when he retired in 1985. Dick then created his own consulting firm focusing on employee customer relations, sales and marketing. In the fall of 1989, Dick joined his wife Evelyn as she assumed her duties as United States Ambassador for the South Pacific countries of the Republic of Fiji, Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Kingdom of Tonga. Family life was central for Dick and Evelyn, filled with joy and adventures shared with their two daughters Susan and Martha. When Dick's career took him to the Twin Cities in Minnesota, the family joined Christ Presbyterian Church in 1968. During his church membership, Dick served as Deacon, Elder, and Sunday school teacher. His personal walk with Christ was significantly enhanced on a Cursillo retreat that led to even greater personal growth and expanded service. Dick and Evelyn found extraordinary happiness and peace at their home on Ponto Lake in North Central Minnesota where they hosted family, friends, and neighbors from near and far. While Dick was renowned for his love of fun and storytelling, the hallmark of his life was philanthropy. Dick felt deeply for the needs of others and expressed his generous heart through fundraising for many organizations throughout his adult life. His central philanthropic leadership focused on the YMCA in Minnesota and in Fiji, where Dick raised funds to create a new YMCA center for youth. Dick was actively engaged with many Rotary clubs for which he raised support for various causes including an ophthalmology clinic in Tanzania. He was also passionate in supporting the mission of Open Arms for Children in South Africa. After a life of fulfillment, Dick died peacefully at 96 years, surrounded by family on Monday, September 7, 2026. Dick is survived by Evelyn, his beloved wife and number one helpmate of 74 + years; daughters Susan Teegen and Martha Adolph and son-in-law Dean Adolph; grandchildren Sarah Shepler (and Bradley), Amy Huber (and Zach), and Jaron Teegen-Case; great granddaughters Savannah, Elliana, Gabriella, Adelynn, and Zahriah. His extended family resides in Iowa, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Dick's honor may be to Christ Presbyterian Church; Southdale YMCA; or Rotary Club of Edina. A memorial service to celebrate Dick's life will be held on September 28 at 1 PM at Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina (6901 Normandale Road, Edina, MN 55435 ' cpcedina.org). The service will also be accessible via livestream at www.cpcedina.org/memorials.

Richard Frank Teegen

July 30, 1930 - September 7, 2026

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