Richard James "Dick" LeSavage, 89, of Apple Valley passed peacefully into the loving arms of Jesus and Blessed Mother Mary on January 28, 2026.  Born in Duluth on August 27, 1936, to the late James and Evelyn (Danz) LeSavage, Dick grew up with two older sisters and a younger brother and sister in a house full of faith and music.

He joined the Minnesota Air National Guard in high school and served 26 years with the 148th Fighter Group in Duluth raising to the rank of Senior Master Sargent.  He was a long-time member of the Apple Valley American Legion Post 1776.

Dick met his future bride and love of his life, Louise, through mutual friends. They married in 1957 and raised a family of five children who gifted them with 13 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren with #22 arriving in July.

Dick graduated from Duluth Cathedral High School, Class of 1954. After high school, he worked a variety of jobs including truck driving and delivering milk. He joined BCBSM as a salesman working out of the Duluth office.  A promotion to General Sales Manager resulted in a relocation to Apple Valley.  After retiring from the company, he continued working as an independent insurance contractor for two more decades.

Dick's Catholic faith was the core of his character.  His heart and his home were open to anyone.  He served many years as an altar boy.  Grace before and after meals and recitation of the Rosary were a daily occurrence which he also passed on.  A longstanding family tradition is the Nativity Play which even survived Covid.  The first production included Dick playing both St. Joseph and King Herod.

Family was everything to Dick.  He always told his children that their inheritance would be memories not money.  He left his family with hundreds of cherished memories including cross-country camping trips to Salt Lake City, the East Coast, Canada, a trip Hawaii in conjunction with an NCO conference, a combination cruise/Disney World vacation; a family Alaskan cruise for 25 to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary; multiple fishing trips to Canada or Algoma MI.  There were also camping trips with extended family in Wisconsin; an old-fashioned Christmas in the Animal House at Delta Lodge; and swimming and snowmobiling at Quadna.

Dick loved to sing.  Besides family sing-alongs after supper with his parents at the piano or in the car on road trips (which he carried over to his own family), he also sang with the Duluth Boys Choir, the St. Joseph Church men's choir, and the Summerhill Wacky Tacky singing group.  As a young man, he often sang for weddings.  When his kids were little, he'd wake them up singing, "You gotta get up in the morning" to the tune of Reveille or "You are My Sunshine."  Friends and family alike looked forward to getting a phone call on birthdays that included "Happy Birthday." He also serenaded Louise on special occasions with "Always (I'll Be Loving You)."

Dick was known for the generosity of his time and talents, especially when it came to any event that involved food.  He was renowned for his pig roasts for family weddings and graduations.  His cooking for Air Guard NCO New Years Eve parties and annual spaghetti dinners is legendary.  He enjoyed cooking on the wood stove at the Hunting Shack. After moving to Apple Valley, he could be found cooking chicken for the local American Legion's 4th of July cookout.  Dick also managed its baseball team for 18 years.

In addition to his wife of 68 years, Dick is survived by his children, Lizette (C. Roger) Pelletier of Terryville, CT, Loren (Carmen) LeSavage of Kettle River, Annette (Terrence) Beaudry of Roseville, Mary (Shade) Correll of Rosemount, Richard T. (Donna) LeSavage of Apple Valley, and AFS daughter Martha (Carlos) Dominguez-Ocampo of Cali, Columbia; grandchildren Evelyn (Alex), Shawna, and Gabriel (Jordyn) Pelletier; Marie (Joe) Garcia; Kris (Jason), Gretchen (Andre), and Gus (Alyssa) LeSavage; Patrick (Sara), Kevin, Mariah, and Clare Beaudry, Chad (Renee) Correll, Liliana (Richard) Kwitkowski, and Juliana and Isabella Domingues-Ocampo; great-grandchildren, Lizzy, Honah, John, Jessie, Millie, Liam, Noah, Mason, Reus, Ohiariha, Baby LeSavage, Tara, Lukas, Arya, Micah, Emily, Charlie B., Patty Kay, Jayne, Maddie, Charlie C., and Victoria; brother Frederick (Kathy) LeSavage of Tomah, WI and sister, Margret (Jimmie) Fitzgerald of Nashville, TN and many nieces and nephews with fond memories of Uncle Dick.  In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by two sisters and their spouses, Donna (Earl) Cornish and Kathryn (John) Bondy, and sister-in-law Patricia LeSavage.

Memorials in lieu of flowers may be made to St. Joseph Catholic Church or School, 360 Communities, or to a charity of the donor's choice.

Visitation will be 4 to 8 PM Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at White Funeral Home, located at 14560 Pennock Ave, Apple Valley. Recitation of the Holy Rosary at 7 PM. Visitation on Thursday, February 5, 2026, will be held 1 hour prior to the Funeral Mass at 11 AM, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 13900 Biscayne Avenue W., Rosemount, MN.https://vimeo.com/event/5706778