Richard “Dick” Fanning was born in New Haven, CT, to parents Thomas E. Fanning and Ella B. Jacobson Fanning. The family, including his older brother, Tom, resided in Wallingford, CT. As a child, Dick cultivated a talent and passion for music and won many accolades for his musical abilities, particularly playing the drums and trombone.

In 1957, upon graduating high school, Dick was appointed to the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY. He graduated from USMA in 1961, married Millie, his beloved wife of 62 years, and was immediately deployed to Kitzingen, Germany. Dick and Millie began to build their large family in Germany and continued to do so, all while living on multiple Army bases on America’s east coast over the next 10 years.

From 1967 to 1968, Dick served as a tank unit commander in the war in VietNam. In 1970, at the rank of Major, Dick was honorably discharged from the Army and returned to civilian life in Lewiston, NY. He went on to earn a M.B.A. from SUNY in Buffalo, NY. While still growing his family, Dick worked for General Mills, Inc., and eventually settled in New Hope, MN. Dick worked as a production engineer and in management capacities until he retired. Dick and Millie enjoyed spending winters at their condo in Marco Island, FL.

Dick was always a man of many talents and achievements. During his life, he excelled academically. He was a member of the Freemasons. In the military, he was awarded a bronze star and other awards and accolades for his many military accomplishments. While at General Mills, Dick was awarded a patent for inventing a process to help lower cholesterol during the cereal making process. Dick successfully coached many kids’ soccer, baseball, and hockey teams, often leading his teams to victory through his solid sports strategies and abilities to build a cohesive team.

Dick was also highly creative, whether woodworking, home remodeling, rebuilding cars, or burning customized CDs from his vast music collection (6,000+ albums). He was passionate about gardening and was known for his lavish flower gardens. Having Dick as a father meant that his help with his children’s school projects were sure to earn high marks! He helped create over the top paper mache volcanoes and designed pinewood derby cars that soared past all of the others. His winning milk carton boats were built for speed at the Minneapolis Aquatennial Milk Carton boat races.

Dick is preceded in death by his loving wife, Millie, by just 2 months and 1 day, as well as his children, Matthew Michael and James Eugene. He is survived by his brother Tom (Linda) and children Kathy (Bob), Gail, Rick, Andrew (Molly), David (Perla) and Karen, as well as grandchildren, C.B., Amanda, Sean, Kevin, Kyle, Felipe, Casey, and Sofia.

We are overjoyed that Dick and Millie are able to pick up their love story in Heaven so quickly, and we know they will continue to guide our family. We are forever grateful to have had Dick lead our family and model true dedication and commitment to every endeavor worth pursuing.

A celebration of life and veterans memorial service will be held at Kapala-Glodek-Malone Funeral Home at 7800 Bass Lake Road, New Hope, MN on Thursday, August 22, with visitation starting at 2:00 and the memorial service at 3:00. Reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations are preferred to the Wounded Warriors Project. https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/