Richard “Rick ” John Bruening

Richard John “Rick” Bruening

Passed away unexpectedly on Friday, February 16, at age 65, at Waukesha Memorial Hospital from heart failure due to Stage 4 Lung Cancer (never smoked) diagnosed on January 2, 2024 after noticing symptoms late November. Beloved husband of Diane Faye (Currier), married April 28, 1984. Devoted dad of Sarah Danielle (Christopher) Dunmire and Raquel Faye (Catalin) Iacob. Brother of Ron (Debbie) Bruening, Diane Gomolka, and Keith Bruening. Further survived by relatives and friends and preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Maxine, and nephew, Jason.

Rick was born on October 26, 1958 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended St. Agnes Catholic Grade School and Wauwatosa West High School. Rick was a COBOL computer programmer who retired four years ago and had fun Uber-ing in recent years. He was a Green Bay Packer season ticket holder and enjoyed seeing the Packers at away games with his family. Always athletically active, he played basketball and tennis with friends and corn hole with family. Rick loved rock music, particularly The Beatles and Led Zeppelin and enjoyed going to concerts as well as attending all of his daughters’ school concerts as students and now as music teachers. He supported Diane’s crafts, Raquel’s and Diane’s pageantry, and Sarah’s and Raquel’s 15 years of gymnastics. Through competitions, that’s how the family experienced Wisconsin.

As a social butterfly, he would light up the room with his smile, energy, and sparkling eyes. He was an intelligent and competitive life-long learner and watched Jeopardy daily, counting the number of correctly answered questions with family. Always wanting to be an astronaut, he loved watching the stars and space station as it rotated by. Rick loved the natural world. Wanting to save the planet, he bought his second fully electric car last July. He sought new experiences through traveling and was loved by all who knew him. We will miss his spark of excitement, happiness, and enjoyment that he found in the smallest things.

Visitation will be held at Krause Funeral Home, 12401 West National Avenue, New Berlin, Wisconsin on Monday, February 26, 2024 from 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM. Funeral Service at 12:00 PM. Burial to follow at Highland Memorial Park.

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