April 4, 1924 - September 13, 2019
Richard F. Cibulka, 95, of Germantown, WI (formerly a long-time resident of South Milwaukee) passed away surrounded by family on September 13, 2019.
Richard was the beloved husband of Alice (nee Tokarski) Cibulka for over 71 years, and loving father to Judy (Tom) Vanden Boom, Nancy Cibulka, Elaine (Jeff) Siefert, Rick (Stacey) Cibulka, Mary (Scott) Grout and Mike (Sue) Cibulka. He was a proud Grandfather to 17 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother Anne, father Joseph, sister Margaret (Kubiak), and brother Joseph.
Richard enlisted in the Army Air Force during WWII. As a pilot of a B-24 Liberator, he served in the 308th Bombardment Group of the Army Air Force, achieving the rank of First Lieutenant. He flew over 300 hours and was awarded the Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross for meritorious achievement in aerial flight. In total, he flew 52 combat missions for over 376 hours of combat flying time over China, Burma and India.
After returning from WWII, Richard graduated from Marquette University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked in the Milwaukee area as an engineer until his retirement from the Falk Corporation in 1987.
He met Alice Tokarski, the love of his life, after his discharge from the Air Force. Together they raised six children who will always be grateful for their love and support, and who will miss him terribly. Richard loved his family, and he loved life. He was an interesting, intelligent man, a great storyteller with a sense of humor. Richard enjoyed life fully, taking up various hobbies from painting to guitar, and in past years enjoyed nothing more than hunting and fishing with his sons, confessing that it was not the sports he loved, but spending the time in Nature with his two boys. He knew of a drink for every occasion, although the martini was his hands-down favorite.
After his retirement, Richard and Alice resided for 20 years in Arizona where they lived a full life of friends, golfing, and enjoying the sun before moving back to Wisconsin.
Richard documented his early childhood years and his years in service to our country in two memoirs. In one of the memoirs he wrote for us, he said, "Life has truly been a wonderful adventure. A little too brief, perhaps, but magnificent just the same. It was well worth the trip. My childhood was filled with more happiness than any one human deserves, a gift that over the years only multiplied in size, until now it can hardly be contained." Another time he wrote, "Life itself is a boon, a blessing, the absolute gift. It is an unbelievably generous grant, surpassing the wildest dreams of our imagination. No wonder no one wants to leave it." The dedications to the books are "To Alice, my wife, my love, my life" and "To my favorite half dozen of the world's best people. Judy, Nancy, Elaine, Rick, Mary, and Mike. May you all be blessed with boundless happiness forever. Starting right now." We were so lucky he was our dad!
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations sent to St. Boniface Catholic Parish in Germantown, WI or a charity of your choice.
A private remembrance for immediate family only will be held at a later date.
