Richard A. Koble

Richard Allen Koble, 53 of North Mankato, passed away Thursday, November 17, 2016, at his home following a year-long, courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.  His loving wife, children, mother, and siblings were by his side.

Funeral Mass will be 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 22, 2016, at Church of St. Peter Catholic Church, with Father Paul van de Crommert officiating.  The family will receive visitors for two hours prior to the service at the church.  He will be laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery in St. Peter.  St. Peter Funeral Home handled the arrangements.

Richard was born in Minneapolis on March 6, 1963; the fourth of six children to Adam and Arlene (Korb) Koble. The family lived for a short time in Rochelle, Illinois before moving to St. Peter where Richard grew up and made many life-long friends.  He played baseball and hockey and enjoyed skateboarding and photography.  Following high school graduation in 1981, he attended Mankato Area Vocational Technical Institute earning certification in auto-body technology.  He worked for several years in the auto-body industry at Mankato Ford, Lager’s of St. Peter and John’s Body Shop in St. Peter.  Many remember his fondness for Volkswagen “Bugs” and the meticulous, artistic work he did.   

In 1990, Richard left the auto-body industry to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering Technology.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Mankato State University in 1994.   Throughout his twenty-plus years as an electrical engineer, he held positions with various companies including E.I. Microcircuits, Johnson Outdoors, Soligie, Trystar and most recently with Hiniker Company.  He consistently earned the respect and admiration of those he worked with.  He was proud to hold patents on several of his electrical designs.    

Richard married his high school sweetheart, Lisa Klein, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on September 6, 1986.  They were blessed with three beautiful children; Elizabeth, Austin and Christopher.  He was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in North Mankato and a third-degree Knight of Columbus.   

The quintessential “handy man;” there was nothing Richard couldn’t fix or figure out. He enjoyed kayaking, fishing and hunting, and yearly family vacations.  Most of all, Richard loved his family and the precious time he spent with them.  He never expressed anger at his diagnosis, only sadness for the pain it brought to his family. 

Richard is survived by his wife, Lisa; children, Elizabeth, Austin and Christopher of North Mankato; mother,  Arlene of St. Peter; siblings, Karen Koch of Rochester, Sharon (Greg) Dodson of Waseca, Ronald (Laura) of Waseca, and Lynette (Nathan) Idso of St. Peter; and many nieces and nephews.  Richard will also be missed by his faithful companion, Zoey.  He was preceded in death by his father, Adam; brother, Steven; brother-in-law, Arno Flowers, grandparents, Leo and Eleanor Korb and Adam and Elizabeth Koble.