Mr. Richard John Droege's Obituary
Richard John “Dick” Droege
He was born on August 25, 1940 to Albert Droege and Evangeline (Wolff) Droege in Litchfield, MN and grew up in Plato, MN. He was baptized at Emanuel Ev. Lutheran Church in Hamburg, MN on September 8, 1940 and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Plato on April 11, 1954. He attended Plato Public School, St. John’s Lutheran Parochial School, and Glencoe High School in Glencoe, Minnesota, graduating on May 25, 1958.
He enjoyed setting traps, shooting his BB gun, and collecting his baseball cards (he always wondered what his mother did with those cards). He was was an avid fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he was a batboy for the Plato baseball team. He spent his summer days at Buffalo Crick, and he had the distinction of being the first and only boy in Plato to get a free Mohawk haircut at Archie’s Barbershop -- much to the chagrin of his parents.
His first job was on an early morning paper route. He worked at T.F. Miller and at Nyhammer’s, where he folded egg cases. He worked on a farm during high school. He was also the proud owner of an Indian Motorcycle.
He entered the Army after high school, serving from 1958 to 1960, then moved to Oklahoma City, marrying Nadine Wade on July 1, 1961. They moved to Mankato, MN in 1962, and Dick then attended Mankato State College, graduating on August 20, 1965 with BA in Accounting. He was an accountant and CPA and was a part-owner of an accounting firm, and several other companies that sold tractor trailers and RVs.
Dick married Carolyn Royal on August 26, 1988 in Houston, TX, becoming a stepfather to her sons John William Royal and Robert Duane Royal. Dick and Carolyn moved to a cabin on the Intercoastal Waterway in Crystal Beach, Texas on the Bolivar Peninsula following retirement. It was while living on the Peninsula that Dick and Carolyn became members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Galveston, Texas. They moved back to Houston after losing the cabin and most their belongings following Hurricane Ike in 2008.
Dick loved to play golf, was a licensed pilot, and trained, owned, and raced thoroughbred horses. He likely spent too much time studying the stock market, and he always felt that he was just one step away from figuring it all out.
He spent his later years as a loving and doting grandfather to three grandchildren. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He enjoyed spending his time with his friends, family, and people, telling jokes and swapping stories.
He died on November 29, 2018 from Parkinson’s Disease. He was preceded in death by his parents and Albert and Evangeline. He is survived by his wife Carolyn Droege and by his stepson John Royal, of Houston, Texas, and stepson Robert Royal and his wife Jamie Royal of San Marcos, Texas, and by their children, his loving grandchildren, Zachary, Hannah, and Rachel. He is also survived by his sister, Sue Hansen and her husband, David Hansen, of Prior Lake, Minnesota, his nephew Chris Exsted, Chris’s wife Jodi, and their children, Alex, Isabelle, and Max, of Savage, Minnesota.
The family asks that Memorials be given to the Parkinson’s Association, or, the Alzheimer’s Association.
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