Richard "Dick" Tupta

Richard Daniel Tupta, who always preferred to be called “Dick”, passed away peacefully at Agrace Hospice in Madison, WI the morning of July 28th, 2025. His loving wife, Pam Tupta, was by his side, just as she had been throughout their 54 year marriage as partner, best friend and over the past 6 years, caregiver as Dick slowly succumbed to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Dick was born in Cleveland, OH in 1948. As the 2nd oldest child in a family that included 8 kids, he shouldered many responsibilities growing up, but always spoke of his family and upbringing with tremendous pride.

He was a burly youth who, due to genetic “freakiness” and the influence of his legendary track coach father (also Richard Tupta), grew into a physically imposing man that could hurl a 16 pound glorified boulder a stunning distance. Dick attended Northwestern University on a track scholarship in 1967. Stories of riding his Kawasaki 650 in dense traffic, wild frat parties, working as a bouncer, and walking steel beams on high rises under construction emerged from that period of his history.

Fortunately for Dick he figured out that he wanted to teach and he went off to grad school at UW Stout in 1971, graduating later with a masters degree in industrial education. But more importantly he met his wife, Pamela Jurcek. He calmed down and started his legacy in the years that followed. This included 4 births in 6 years, moves to California, Fennimore, and eventually Milwaukee where Dick and Pam raised their family and Dick taught in the Welding Technology Program at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Over the next 40+ years he trained and mentored an entire regional generation of welders and iron workers. If you live in Wisconsin you have undoubtedly been in a building that has some of Dick’s soul and spirit intermingled in the structural steel that holds it together. If you were ready to work hard and were motivated to support yourself and your family he did his best to teach you everything he knew and be your friend, social worker, father, and advisor along the way. His students were his extended family and a huge part of his legacy. His kids that he helped make knew him to be similarly intense with regard to his devotion to their well-being. There was never any doubt about his love, loyalty, and willingness to help them have the lives they desired.

Ultimately he retired from teaching due to a combination of age, early onset dementia, and relocation to the Madison area. Dick and Pam met the challenges of Alzheimer’s with grace and he was able to be at home until the last week of his life. He is survived by Pam, and his 4 children and their spouses: Joe (Molly) Tupta, Jeremy Tupta, Sarah Kaeser, and Rich Tupta (Megan Dixon); and many grandkids. “Bumpa” will be missed, but never forgotten.

The Tupta family feels tremendous gratitude for the loving staff at the Colonial Club Adult Day Care in Sun Prairie and the folks at Agrace Hospice in Madison. They helped so much along the way to a dignified ending of a life well-lived.