Marshall——Richard A. Motl, 91, passed away August 9, 2024 at his home in Marshall after a brief illness. He built the house in 1961, and with his wife Mary Jo (Kloster), turned it into a lifelong home with their five children. He was blessed to have all of his children and grandchildren no more than two hours away, and they returned home to surround him with love and care the last weeks of his life.

Richard was born on December 13, 1932, raised on the family farm near Deansville, graduated from Marshall High School, and attended UW Madison for four years. He founded Motl Construction with his brothers Dave and Tom, and together they built numerous residential and commercial buildings in the Marshall, Sun Prairie, and Waterloo area. In the mid 1960’s he planted 5000 evergreen seedlings on the family farm to raise as Christmas trees. He put his five children to work shearing in the summer and dragging out cut trees in the winter. Through this endeavor he taught his children the value of hard work, how to manage money, and created a unique Christmas spirit with traditions that have been carried down to his grandchildren. Richard was an avid sportsman, playing plenty of golf, bowling, hunting and fishing. With family and friends, he built two cabins in the Northwoods…one on 40 acres of deer land (FADL) for hunting and one on Pelican Lake for fishing, creating a lifetime of memories for his loved ones.

For decades Richard was active in the Marshall Fire Department, serving as Chief for a number of years. He was also a charter member of the Marshall Lions Club, earning the Melvin Jones Award, for service. He belonged to St. Mary’s Catholic Church most of his life, and later Sacred Hearts, in Sun Prairie.

Richard’s greatest legacy will be the characteristics he instilled in his children…hard work, responsibility, service, and honesty (the punishment for telling the truth for a misdeed was always less than being caught in a fib). He is survived by children Deb (Mark) Popp, Alan (Vonda), Dan (Chris), Jane (Mike) Boettcher, and Laurie (Steve) Grams, 15 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren. He is further survived by very special friend, Katie Rogers, who brought him great happiness in his last years.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Mary Jo; his parents, Alvin and Helen; and brothers Jim, Phil, Tom, and Dave and sister Bette Krebs.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Sacred Hearts Catholic Church in Sun Prairie on Tuesday, August 20 at 11 am. Visitation will be at Tuschen-Newcomer Funeral Home, 302 Columbus St., Sun Prairie on Monday, August 19 from 4:00 to 7:00pm and again at the church one hour prior to mass. Burial of cremains for both Richard and Mary Jo will be private. Everyone is welcome to join the family for a luncheon after mass in the church Gathering Room.

The family has great admiration and appreciation for the SSM Health at Home Hospice team who assisted them on this journey. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any memorials be directed to the Marshall Fire Department, perhaps to assist with replacing the Firemen’s Park hamburger stand that Dick built so many years ago, and was recently destroyed by fire.