Richard “Dick” Frisque Obituary

Richard K. Frisque, 90, from Peoria, Arizona, passed away peacefully at Hospice of the Hills in Surprise, Arizona on Sunday, December 28th, 2025. He died of a broken heart having lost his wife, Wilma Frisque, the love of his life, just 6 weeks prior. Manny Fonseca, a special friend of the couple, kept a bedside vigil whenever possible. Manny was not just a special friend, but a former employee who grew to become chosen family. Manny supported the couple for decades as a handyman, errand runner, mover, companion, listening ear, and in later years, Dick & Wilma’s caretaker much of the time. They truly loved him like a son. Manny took the couple to Denny’s for breakfast every Saturday, and Manny drank his last cup of coffee with Dick as company, bedside the morning Dick passed away. Dick’s son & wife, Robert and Renae Frisque, will be eternally grateful for Manny’s presence in Dick & Wilma’s life as he provided them absolute peace of mind knowing the couple was always in excellent hands.

Dick was born in Janesville, WI on November 11th, 1935, the son of John and Angela (Cosgrove) Frisque. After several moves, they finally landed in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, more specifically Crescent Lake, in 1952. Dick graduated from Rhinelander High School in 1954 and moved to Beloit, WI where he worked as a butcher. Together with his first wife, Judith A. Prielipp, he had two sons, Kenneth and Robert Frisque.

Later he moved to Janesville and served as a Sargeant in the Wisconsin National Guard. While mobilized to Fort Lewis, WA, he took great pride in serving as a cook in the Mess Hall and loved it. Some time after ending his military career, he eventually started up his own carpet cleaning business that also included carpet sales and installation. He also had a second carpet business in Rockford, IL for a while. In 1981 he decided to uproot and move to Phoenix, AZ. He worked tirelessly to create a new carpet business from the ground up that eventually included carpet cleaning, carpet sales and installation, as well as a custom carpet business that showed off his and Wilma’s skills as business owners as well as carpet designers.

Dick was a people person. He was a jokester and loved nothing more than making people laugh. He had a quick wit, albeit sometimes a little too quick for the likes of Wilma. If you listen closely, you can probably still hear her exasperated “Richard!”

At one point during his Arizona carpet business years, he hired a woman named Wilma. As time went on, he realized he only had eyes for her, and she eventually agreed to a date. We don’t know for sure if he wooed her, or wore her down, but they married on March 25th, 2000, and were able to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary together just last March.

Dick & Wilma had everything in common. They loved going to swap meets, flea markets, and antique stores. They had a passion for gardening whether it be vegetables or flowers. Rose bushes always topped the list and were mandatory in their landscaping. They were thrifty and frugal and never wasted a thing that could be repurposed and used again. They had a love of the Wisconsin North Woods and were thrilled the day they bought a lovely lake home in Eagle River, WI. It became their summer home. It brought them great joy to share their home by inviting family and friends to come visit. Their children, grandchildren, and eventually great-grandchildren enjoyed pontoon boat rides, swimming and pedal boating, campfires and s’mores, and watching them hand feed the squirrels peanuts at their sliding patio door. Sadly, their hearts broke a little when the day came that they sold the Eagle River house and decided to live in Arizona full time.

Not long after the sale of the house Wilma was diagnosed with dementia. She struggled with the disease and her failing brain. It was sad to watch, but thankfully she was just the sweetest person during the progression of the disease. Dick & Wilma moved into assisted living in August of 2024. This last summer it came time for her to move into memory care. That was a difficult change for both, but they were learning to navigate it. In September she fell and broke her hip which led to hip replacement surgery. She never fully recovered from that and sadly passed away on November 15th. Dick was absolutely lost without her. He put together a very nice memorial service for her. He waited to have it until December 17th, when Rob & Renae could make a trip to Arizona. The Monday after the service and Rob & Renae had returned to Wisconsin, Dick had a stroke. He suffered complications from the stroke on that Thursday, went into the hospice facility on Friday, and passed away Sunday morning, just 6 weeks after Wilma. He saw to it that she had a lovely memorial service and then he was ready to join her. There is a definite bittersweet comfort in that.

Dick is survived by his son: Robert (Renae) Frisque, stepson: Michael (Kathleen) Reinert, stepdaughter: Deanna (Todd) Mielke; 10 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and 4 great-great-grandchildren; sister Roberta (Frank) Recha; and many nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. He is also survived by Manny Fonseca, who was truly another son to him and Wilma.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Wilma; son, Ken; daughter-in-law, Pam; parents, John & Angela; sister, Elizabeth Klaas; brothers John Frisque, & LaVerne Frisque; and great-granddaughter Jocelyn Burdick.

A joint celebration of life for Dick & Wilma will be held in Rhinelander, WI on Saturday, June 13th, 2026, with Reverend Marshal Frisque officiating. 

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