Rick always enjoyed spending time hiking the Ice Age Trail near our family home in Dousman. The family would like to honor his wishes to have a bench in his memory along the trail. All funds from this GoFundMe will support the costs of the bench, with remaining funds donated in memoriam to the Froedtert Hospital Foundation where Rick received care to support cancer research.

Richard Warren Roofe, 60, of Dousman, WI passed away on Monday, December 16, 2024 at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

Rick was born on December 14, 1964 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison to his father, Gayle Roofe, and mother, Jacquiline VonBehren (Knaub). Rick grew up in the Madison area, where he and his sister, Marissa, spent a great deal of their childhood raising sheep, chickens and riding horses with his mother Jackie and step-dad Rod on the Von Behren farmette “Behren Acres” in Waunakee. After graduating from Madison East High School with the class of 1983, Rick moved in with his father Gayle and his partner Bitsy at their home in the Town of Ottawa. In 1989, he met his wife, Julie, as a walk-in client looking for a haircut. Rick and Julie were united in marriage on September 11, 1993 in East Troy. The couple settled in the town of Ottawa, spending their time making their beautiful house a home where they raised their three daughters, Carly, Courtney, and Christina. Rick was a big role model to his girls and showed them how to work hard and to be strong, independent women. Rick had several jobs, but found his passion as a Technical Sales Rep at Bentley Welding Supply/Praxair, following in the footsteps of his father, Gayle. After working 12 years at Bentley/Praxair, Rick went to work for Airgas where he spent the last 20 years of his career as a salesman. Rick had the perfect combination of practical hands-on experience and commitment to customer service. Rick left a huge impact on those he worked with. In 1986 he and his father started a small business, RT Industries, which worked in tandem with his career. They enjoyed spending their time designing and creating solutions for their customers. When he wasn’t working, Rick could be found outside enjoying nature. He lived his life to the fullest and especially loved spending time boating, camping, kayaking, hiking, biking, playing volleyball and spending time with his family, friends and his beloved dog, Tia. Rick had a knack for making friends easily and will be remembered for his sense of humor and his infectious positive personality. He always offered to lend a hand to anyone who needed help. He was a problem solver and do-it-yourselfer, so no project was ever too big to figure out. He touched so many lives during his time on earth and will be sincerely missed by those he leaves behind.

He is survived by: his loving wife of 31 years, Julie Roofe of Dousman; his three loving daughters, Carly (Devin Decker) Roofe, Courtney (Brandon Ring) Roofe, and Christina Roofe; his father, Gayle (Bitsy Siebecker) Roofe; and his mother, Jackie (Rod) Von Behren. He is also survived by a number of other relatives and friends.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents and his dear sister, Marissa.