Richard John Crotteau

Beloved Husband, Father, Brother, Son, Uncle, and Friend.

Richard John Crotteau passed away peacefully at the age of 86 at Hospice of the Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio. Richard was born on May 19, 1938, to the late Gordon and Marion Crotteau in Mosinee, WI, where he spent his formative childhood years. As a youth, he enjoyed all things outdoors and sports, including competitive tennis, which he continued into his adult years as a regular on the hardcourts at Western Reserve Tennis Club in Hudson, OH. An avid outdoorsman, he could often be found walking the trails of Hudson Springs Park with the family dog or biking along The Towpath Trail with family members and friends.

After graduating from Mosinee High School in 1956, Richard became a Badger for life when he enrolled at his beloved University of Wisconsin. Although he moved into the heart of Buckeye Country later in life, he never wavered in his love for his alma mater and even got to enjoy seeing his daughter, Danielle, graduate from Madison in 1996. The two made a memorable trip to the 1994 edition of the Rose Bowl to watch Wisconsin defeat UCLA. His home state Green Bay Packers were not as successful at keeping his allegiance, and he eventually adopted a rooting interest for the professional sports teams in Cleveland as an adult.

Richard graduated from Wisconsin with a degree in Chemistry and quickly went to work in Sales at Pittsburgh Plate & Glass and later General Electric. But he spent the majority of his career at Loctite / Henkel, with more than 30 years of service. Richard was born to work in Sales and could talk for hours with passion about the benefits of the products and services he represented. A frequent recipient of sales awards and recognition over the years, it was Richard’s genuine interest in others’ personal and professional stories that contributed to his success as a salesman and led to his professional nickname, Inspector Clouseau. To him, relationships were king, and he relished the art of the sale as much if not more than the science.

Richard was very active in his adopted hometown of Hudson, OH, where he coached his children’s sports teams, took them on camping excursions, and served on the Parks & Recreation Board, always working to beautify the town and its resources. He also relished combining vacations with visits to family around the country - from the North Woods of Wisconsin to Disney World to the mountains of Colorado, no distance was too far.

In addition to his parents, Richard is preceded in death by his son, Steven Crotteau. He is survived by his former wife, Linda Crotteau, his sisters, Mary Anne Bixby and Joni Janz, his daughter Debbie Crotteau Umbach, her husband Heath, his granddaughter Taylor, and grandson Logan. He is also survived by his daughter Danielle Crotteau Serna, her husband Victor, and their children Amory, Luca, and Emilio.

The family will hold a private virtual service to celebrate Richard’s life. They request that those wishing to honor Richard donate to Friends of Hudson Parks (https://friendsofhudsonparks.org/). Condolences and special memories of Richard can be shared with his family online at www.heritagecremationsociety.com