Richard Hardegger

Hardegger, Richard October 5, 1958-March 6, 2025 Sometimes those who have the greatest influence are people who shun the limelight and do great things quietly. This was Richard Hardegger. On March 6, 2025, Rich died at home after 'cancering' with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors for 4 years. While he was an unpublished author, he was a writer at his core, and it was through this writing that he showed his true self. He chronicled his cancer experience on CaringBridge with raw honesty and disarming humor - a solid pun his weapon of choice - and with acceptance and positivity that gave readers an authentic glimpse into the life he faced. We will miss his playful style, mischievous pranks, witty humor, and his willingness to help others by expressing his love through gifts of time and talent. Rich was born October 5, 1958 in Dubuque, IA, the first of four children of Swiss immigrants Joe and Ann (Helfenberger) Hardegger. Rich's father moved the family to Eureka, SD in 1960 to start a cheese factory business. The Hardegger children spent many of their growing up years contributing to the success of the factory, learning much about hard work, agri-business, and resilience in a rural, small-town setting where self-sufficiency was critical to success. The factory produced cheddar cheese, and the family kept it running, occasionally through 'less than pretty' DIY/Rube Goldberg solutions. Rich graduated from Eureka High School in 1976 and enrolled at South Dakota State University, where he received a degree in dairy manufacturing in 1980. He was a member of the Dairy Products Judging Team that won the National Collegiate Dairy Products Championship, a resident assistant at Pierson Hall, and a trombone player in the Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band. Although they disagreed on the exact time and place, Rich and Kate agreed they met during their senior year at SDSU. After graduation, Kraft Foods hired Rich into supervision roles at their Stockton, IL Swiss cheese operations. Now a Swiss cheese 'whiz', Rich was quick to point out when the holes in Swiss cheese were not the correct size to be considered a quality product. Rich left Kraft after two years to join the Peace Corps as a public health volunteer in the Fiji Islands. He enjoyed telling the story of having a chance encounter with Queen Elizabeth during her visit to Fiji. The brief exchange, which created a bit of media buzz, was the result of having the audacity to greet her and engage her in conversation as she walked by, which he did not realize was against decorum. Returning to the US, he resumed working with the family business until milk and cheese surpluses led to the business being sold. Rich and Kate, following a 'long distance relationship' since the SDSU days, were married in 1985 and made their home in Eureka. After the sale of the business, they moved to Rapid City, SD. A second degree, this time in Chemical Engineering from South Dakota Mines, was the next endeavor for this renaissance man and led to a career as an environmental engineer (air quality emphasis) with Barr Engineering in Minneapolis. Rich officially retired in 2023, after 32 years with Barr. One of Rich's career highlights was the opportunity to help lead and grow Barr's Calgary, Alberta office for five years. Rich and Kate felt privileged to have been able to live and work in Calgary, hike extensively in the Canadian Rockies, enjoy the simply wonderful Canadians, and share these experiences with family and friends who were able to visit. Throughout his life he continued to regularly volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, his children's sports programs, and as a judge for the Minnesota Academy of Science and Engineering fair. Rich made it a priority to take annual trips to the BWCAfirst as father/son trips with each of his sons, and later with a core group of friends. In retirement, Rich enjoyed spending time with his family. He especially enjoyed bringing engineering, whimsy, and magic to projects in the garage with his grandkids - including installing solar light panels on the garden fairy house, and creating any kid-led request with scrap wood, cardboard tubes, and painter's tape. While his retirement was soon dominated by managing cancer, Rich also dedicated time to taking weekly shifts at the VEAP food shelf in Bloomington, reading anything historical, studying Spanish, producing a legacy book of the Eureka Cheese factory's history, and giving time to too many heart-breaking Minnesota sports teams. He was preceded in death by his parents, and leaves behind his wife of 39 years, Kate (Krebsbach) Hardegger of Apple Valley, MN. He is also survived by his sons Jonathan (Kristian) Hardegger of Richfield, MN and Matthew Hardegger of Minneapolis, MN; grandchildren Josef and Avery; sisters JoAnn Hardegger (Darrin Swanson) of Hudson, WI and Irene (Dan) Knoepfle of Gillette, WY; and brother Dave (Corinne) Hardegger of Gillette, WY; in addition to many nieces, nephews, and friends. Services will be held on Friday, March 21, 2025 at 11:00 am, at St. Thomas Becket in Eagan, MN. Visitation will be held one hour before the service. In lieu of flowers, we ask you to kindly consider a donation to your local food shelf as a way to honor Rich. We offer special thanks to his medical team at Frauenshuh Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, Health Partners Hospice, and most especially his family team who cared so lovingly for Rich in his final days.