Richard Van Den Berg

The echo of the sweet, last note lingers no longer, and Richard Van Den Berg is finished with his dance.

Even as the big band played its final number, Richard was gracious in his dance, emphasizing his desire to leave praise for Hospice of the Valley, who cared for him as the band played their last notes.

He said of his final days: “This is a time where we have to pause. We have the opportunity to rest our minds. It’s a difficult thing, but they (Hospice of the Valley) are making it as comfortable as they can.”

Known affectionately as “Dick” - sometimes “Grandpa Dick” to a lucky few, and playfully as “Dickie” to his companion, Trudy - Richard Van Den Berg led a full, mostly happy, mostly rewarding life, spanning 93 years, 7 months and 5 days. He was born to Edna and Paul Van Den Berg on Groundhog Day in 1923, in Milwaukee, Wis.

The most important relationship Dick enjoyed was with his beloved Lillian. They met at Bay View High School in Milwaukee. The two enjoyed 60 years of marriage before Lil passed on in 2007.

After serving with the 20th Air Force in the Pacific Islands during WWII, Dick and Lil married in 1949 and embarked on their life together. Together they raised two children - a son, Tracy, and a daughter, Jano.

Dick and his business partner, Gus Falkenberg, formed Dimensional Products in Milwaukee, Wis. and for 26 years specialized in designing and fabricating all measure of point-of-sale and display marketing materials for their clients.

As pioneers in the industry, they were the first to produce vacuumed formed promotional materials. Serving in sales and as the lead designer, Dick spent most of his working days in the field, where he sketched and sold ideas, and forged strong relationships with loyal clients at Budweiser and Parker Pen (among other national accounts).

He later continued in the advertising field as a project coordinator for several major companies, forming more relationships, and enjoying travel, with Japan as a favorite destination. Dick and Lillian also loved spending time in Hawaii and summers in San Luis Obispo, Calif. In 1995 they were enjoying a trip to Arizona, staying at The Boulders, when Dick heard about a giant fountain in the desert. He had to see it.

It was a fateful visit. The Van Den Bergs made Fountain Hills their new home in 1995.

In addition to his sketching skills, Dick felt energized through artistic expression. He was a skilled digital photographer, watercolorist and painter. In fact, if the subject at hand involved creativity, you could count on Dick being interested. He was especially fond of Pixar.

What he enjoyed most, though, was the relationships he formed through these creative endeavors. He loved all things creative, but even more, he loved sharing this love with his friends.

No one is sure what heaven is like, but let’s suppose heaven is exactly what we’d want it to be. In that case, we can smile knowing Dick is sitting in a comfy canvas chair with his toes dipped in a warm pond filled with colorful, splashing koi fish. He has sketch pad on his lap and Lil is at his side. In Dick’s heaven, his favorite moments are spent talking with friends about, well, almost anything besides sports. For Dick Van Ben Berg, that’s what heaven is - slowing down, enjoying life and cherishing relationships.

Dick is survived by his son, Tracy, a Senior Captain with Delta Airlines, and his wife, Kay, and their children, Justin (and his wife, Brittanie – a new mommy!) and, Maddie; and his daughter, Jano, a botanist and educator, and her son, Joshua. He is also survived by Gertrude (Trudy) Elias, his cherished companion.

Donations may be made in Dick’s honor to The Fountains, a United Methodist Church, where friends and family celebrated his life this past Sunday.