Richard Lee LaChappelle

   Funeral services for Richard LaChappelle of Warroad, MN will be held on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at 11 AM at Woodland Bible Church in Warroad.  Visitation will be on Friday evening from 5-7 PM at Helgeson Funeral Home in Warroad.  Interment will be at the Fairview Cemetery.

   Richard passed away Friday, September 28th at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, ND. In spite of our hopes and prayers, regardless of good reports, pulse and breathing stopped as a nurse helped him from a chair into bed. Cardiac arrest! Medication and chest compressions couldn't start it again.

   Rich was born August 11, 1964 to Catherine (Knauf) LaChappelle and Ralph LaChappelle as a surprise, weighing 3#8oz. He graduated from Warroad High School as Salutatorian in 1982 and from Jamestown College (now University) in 1986 with a major in Mathematics, minor in Computer Science and a high school teaching certificate. Bill Marvin remarked that "teaching was next best to working at Marvin Windows and Doors". He worked as a teaching assistant at Heritage Christian School while his brother taught there, returning to work in Traps in 1993 and Special Calculations in 1997 until Parkinson's took over in 2003. He bravely went through Deep Brain Surgery to control muscles, attacking it aggressively without much complaint except wondering how he would get through therapy every day for six weeks. In his early teen years he also fought Kyphosis which led to a back brace. Again, no complaints.

   Richard enjoyed motorcycling, hunting, helping dad fish, farm and garden until Ralph passed in 2006, playing with Callie the cat and our dogs Kayto and Rocky. There were a few vacation trips to the Black Hills, Badlands, Glacier and Yellowstone parks and Duluth in a motorhome.

   A highlight of his "grown up days” was being a founding member of the Warroad Lost River Sportsmens Complex (WLRSC), helping build the range and he enjoyed target and Trap shooting.

Another highlight was helping with the sound system at Woodland Bible Church. At home he built an ultimate stereo system. It gave you the feeling of a symphony hall with classics, or oldies rock n roll. He also built a high tech computer system to edit music on.

Of course his wedding to Asuncion (Sandoval) of Cebu City, Philippines December 21,2012 in Roseau. I don't think he could have been happier. They shared almost six years with "Siony" becoming a U.S. citizen in 2017.

   Survivors include: his wife Asuncion (Siony); her sons Darell, Shaun Rae and daughter Ann; mother Catherine; brother Bob; aunts Kathryn Klein of Sydney, NE, JoAnn (Ray) Vistad of Roseau and uncle Dave LaChappelle of Twin Valley; and several cousins.

   Preceded in death by his father Ralph; grandparents John and Winifred Knauf, Elize and Joe LaChappelle; aunts Leone LaChappelle, Miriam F. Knauf (Chicago, IL), Karolynn Rideout (Oceanside, CA), Mary Lou Harms (Rockford, IL); uncles Bob and Don Knauf of California, Art, John, Gene, Jim, Joe, Rene and Steve LaChappelle.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Richard Lee LaChappelle, please visit our floral store.