Richard Dale Burch
February 15, 1957 ~ September 23, 2025
Richard D. Burch, Pipestone, MN, passed away unexpectedly on September 23, 2025, from a fall, at the age of 68, in Sioux Falls, SD.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, October 19, 2025, at Christ the King Free Lutheran Church, 804 8th Ave. NE, Pipestone, MN.
Richard Dale Burch, the youngest of ten children, was born on February 15, 1957, in Pipestone, MN, to Howard and Gladys (Quirk) Burch.
Richard spent his younger years at the Boys Ranch in Austin, MN where he developed his passion for working with horses. He met his foster family through the Boys Ranch where his foster father, Art Carlson, worked as a carpenter. Art taught Richard carpentry, a skill he used throughout his life to work on his own projects, but also to help others with theirs. Richard’s foster mother, Lee, was an amazing baker, and that is where he got his sweet tooth from. Richard would never turn down a sweet treat of any kind!
Richard graduated from Austin High School in 1975, and in 1976 married Wendy Nelson. They had a daughter, Angela. The couple later divorced, and Richard remarried. He had two sons, Travis and Colton.
A lifelong lover of the outdoors, Richard found peace and joy in nature. Whether he was cruising the many lakes of Minnesota with friends and family on his pontoon boat, fishing quiet streams, or just sitting in a tree stand with his bow, hunting, he felt most at home surrounded by nature.
In addition to the outdoors, Richard enjoyed spending his weekends at several race car tracks in Minnesota and South Dakota, cheering for his favorite drivers and family members.
Later in life, Richard was reunited with his siblings. They would spend countless hours on the farm sharing stories, fishing, and soaking in the beauty of the lake. It was a chapter of his life that brought him deep happiness and a sense of wholeness.
Richard will be remembered for his kindness and his ability to rig just about anything to work… often with nothing but duct tape and determination.
Richard is survived by his daughter, Angela; sons, Travis and Colton; sisters, Robin, Cathy, Carol, and Judy; brothers, Andy and Raymond; and his beloved pets, Myah, Gracie, Tango and Cash, who will now be cared for by family.
Richard was preceded in death by his birth parents, Gladys and Howard; his foster parents, Lee and Art; and his siblings, Roy, Daryl, Jerry, and Eva.
In his final act of kindness, Richard chose to donate his organs, giving the gift of life to others.
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