Richard "Dick" Lamm

Richard "Dick" Lamm, age 78, passed from this life on January 4, 2023, with family by his side after a short illness. Dick was born to William and Florence Lamm in 1944 and was raised on the family farm with his two brothers, Bill and Jerry. After graduating from Aquin High School, Dick went on to graduate with degrees in Accounting and Business Administration from Loras College, and began working at Sundstrand and then Lindgren, Callahan, and VanOsdol. Eventually retiring in 2009, he barely stopped long enough to catch his breath before opening his own firm, Lamm Accounting, which grew to become Lucas Group with offices in Freeport and Rockford. Not many people can say that they love their jobs or fellow co-workers as much as Dick loved his. Although he planned to retire in 2023, we doubt that he ever would have fully retired since nothing made him happier than helping a client solve a problem or encouraging a co-worker to reach their full potential. Dick married the love of his life, Rebecca Snyder, on June 25, 1966. They raised three children and thoroughly enjoyed being grandparents to their seven grandchildren. Dick encouraged them all to follow their dreams and could always be depended on for quality, and at times, quirky advice. Ever the romantic, Dick arranged for Becky and himself to renew their vows during their 50th Anniversary trip to Germany in a church where her ancestors worshiped. Dick had an adventurer's spirit and he and Becky took many wonderful trips throughout their 56 years together, including to Amsterdam, Estonia, Italy, and Cape Cod. Their grandchildren will always treasure the memories of their special trips with Grandma and Grandpa, hunting crabs at night on Edisto Beach, and going up North to the cabin. Dick was a firm believer in taking an active role in life. When he was 22, he organized the first group in the Dubuque area to assist children with disabilities. This group is still in existence today. In the 1970's he helped sponsor a family of five from Vietnam. He served on many boards, including the Highland Community College Foundation, the Freeport Park District, the Freeport Germania, St. Anne's Church (Dixon), St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Aquin's finance board, and 14 years as treasurer of the Manuscript Society, an international group whose goal is to preserve handwritten records. Dick was also a member of the Freeport Art Museum, the Caxton Club, the Kiwanis Club, the Elks Club, and the Rotary Club. He and Becky were members of the same dinner club for more than 30 years and rarely missed "hamburger night" with friends on Wednesdays. He played pickup basketball with men half his age until his 60's and never stopped going out to the family farm whenever possible to visit with or help his brothers. Dick was a lifelong learner who enjoyed history, poetry, artwork, and collections. He enjoyed telling us about his latest research and loved to spark the interest of learning in others. Dick felt that there was always something to learn from books, classes, and people and he took every opportunity to further his knowledge. Dick is survived by his wife, Becky, of Freeport, daughter, Jennifer (Pete) Knishka of Waunakee, WI, son, Mike (Dawn) Lamm of Lakeville, MN, daughter Beth (Shaun McCurdy) Lamm of Freeport, grandchildren, Ryan Knishka, Matt Knishka, Caili Knishka, Joshua Lamm, Tom Knishka, Tyler Schriner, and Kaitlin Lamm, his brothers Bill (Barb) Lamm and Jerry (Luann) Lamm, numerous nieces and nephews, and amazing friends and neighbors. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Florence Lamm. A visitation will be held at Burke-Tubbs Funeral Home in Freeport on Monday, January 9 from 4-7 pm, with a rosary service starting at 3:30 pm. The funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, January 10 at 10:30 am at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Freeport with Father Peter Snieg officiating. A visitation will be held from 9:30 am until the time of mass at church. *Dick donated 50 gallons of blood during his lifetime. To honor him, please consider donating blood at your nearest blood center. He will also be smiling if you treat yourself to a homemade chocolate malt or a good glass of red wine and think of him. We will be. Previous Events Rosary Service JAN 9. 3:30 PM (CT) Burke Tubbs Funeral Home- Freeport 504 N. Walnut Street Freeport, IL 61032 https://burketubbs.com Loading map Visitation JAN 9. 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM (CT) Burke Tubbs Funeral Home- Freeport 504 N. Walnut Street Freeport, IL 61032 https://burketubbs.com Loading map Visitation JAN 10. 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM (CT) St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church 1400 Kiwanis Drive Freeport, IL 61032 Loading map Funeral Mass JAN 10. 10:30 AM (CT) St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church 1400 Kiwanis Drive Freeport, IL 61032 Loading map