Obituary of Richard Lemberger

Lemberger, Richard of Forest Lake passed away peacefully at Regions Hospital the morning of December 14, 2023 at the age of 83. He was preceded in death by parents, Erma and Chester Lemberger, brother, Ivan Lemberger, and first wife Ida Schaffer.  He is survived by his loving wife, Jeanne Lemberger, children and stepchildren, Tom, Mary, Ivan, Yvonne, Kenneth, Keith, Cari, John and Kevin, 10 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren and many other loving family and friends. Richard was cremated according to his wishes. A remembrance will be scheduled at a later date. 

Richard was born in Burlington, Iowa in 1940 and lived a long and fulfilling life. In his childhood, his family moved to Mountain Home, Arkansas for a time where they owned a Daisy Creme soft serve restaurant before returning to Burlington, Iowa.  At age 15, Richard enrolled in the School of the Ozarks in Point Outlook, Missouri where he attended his last two years of high school and graduated in 1958. 

He served six years in the US Navy on the nuclear submarine, the SS Sea Dragon.  While in the Navy he traveled to the Orient including Japan and East Asia and was stationed at Pearl Harbor. He was honorably discharged in 1966 and he and his first wife Ida, settled in Burlington, Iowa with 4 children and twins on the way. He and his family later moved to Washington, Iowa where Richard worked for Advanced Ross and commuted to Iowa City to attend college at the University of Iowa, a public research university.  

After graduating with an electrical engineering degree, Richard became employed by the University of Iowa where he worked in the space research department and contributed to the development of the Pioneer 10 satellite that successfully launched in 1972. In December 1973, Richard and his family relocated to St. Paul, MN and he started a long career at 3M where he contributed to many inventions and is named on numerous 3M patents.  His work ranged from printer technology to medical imaging. After 25 years working for 3M, he became employed by its spinoff, Imation, part of which was purchased by Kodak and then by Carestream.  Richard was a part of all these transitions and ultimately retired from Carestream in 2007. 

Over the years, Richard divorced, moved to Forest Lake, Minnesota, remarried, and had another son.  He valued family and enjoyed hosting holidays and family meals, often cooking a massive Frick ham, beef rib roast or pork roast.   He valued friendships as well. A group of his coworkers and their spouses/partners who referred to themselves as “the usual suspects”, gathered multiple times a year, meeting for dinner, hosting gatherings, and attending live theatre productions.  These friendships and gatherings were a joy to him.  One such gathering was held just a month before his death.  Richard will be missed by family and friends.