Joseph Dick obituary

Joseph (Joe) Andrew Dick passed away February 26, 2026, at St. Elizabeth’s Gundersen Health Care Center from complications of Parkinson’s Disease with which he bravely fought a courageous battle for many years.
Joe was born August 28, 1954, at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Wabasha, Minnesota, to Robert (Bob) and Lucille (Lager) Dick. Joe attended St. Felix School through the eighth grade. He graduated from Wabasha/Kellogg High School in 1972.
While growing up, Joe helped at his parents’ West Side grocery store in Wabasha. During the 10th through 12th grades, Joe worked for Petite Products in Wabasha. He also drove combine during the pea harvest for the Lakeside plant in Plainview, Minnesota.
As a teenager, Joe worked for area farmers working up fields,  planting and harvesting crops which he truly enjoyed. He then worked for Federal-Mogul in Lake City, Minnesota, for 15 years as a maintenance worker. Joe was the manager/owner of Lake Pepin Oil (Rapp Oil) for 11 years from 1988-1999. During that time, he also drove school bus for Schmit’s Bus, Inc., for the Wabasha- Kellogg school district. Joe was caretaker for the Wisconsin Management Co., Inc., at the Wisconsin Apartment Complex in Wabasha for many years. Joe worked for Wabasha Sand, Gravel & Ready Mix Co., in Wabasha as a cement truck driver from 1999-2000.
Joe married Sally Elizabeth Farrell at the Plummer House in Rochester, Minnesota, on June 17, 1999. They made their home in the Wabasha area.
In 2000, he was asked to drive the school bus to Cotter High School in Winona, Minnesota, taking St. Felix students to school there where he then worked as a custodian/maintenance worker during school hours. From 2004-2011, Joe worked in maintenance and was a driver for We-no-nah Canoe in Winona, until he was laid off due to ongoing health issues.
From 1993-2014, he owned and operated the City Laundry in Wabasha.  Joe had a forklift operator license which he utilized in several of his jobs.  Joe was a volunteer fireman for 34 years starting in 1978. While a volunteer fireman, he was the president of the Wabasha County Mutual Aid Association in 2006. Joe was an EMT (emergency medical technician) for the Wabasha Ambulance Service from 1985-2005.  He retired early due to ongoing major health issues.
Joe was a volunteer and board member for the Wabasha Historical Museum for several years. He was passionate about Wabasha history. Joe served as fire warden for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources covering Greenfield Township in a volunteer capacity.
Joe is preceded in death by his parents, grandparents and many aunts and uncles. He is survived by his wife Sally; sisters Linda Dick and Sue (Phil) Rosendale; four nephews and nieces; five great nieces and nephews; many niece- and nephew-in-laws, great niece- and nephews-in-law; and great great nieces- and nephews-in-law.
Visitation will be one hour before mass from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at St. Felix Catholic Church in Wabasha, Minnesota. Funeral Mass is at 11 a.m. at the church.  Burial will be at the Burnside Cemetery in Red Wing, Minnesota. Ashes of Joe and Sally’s eight dogs (their “kids”) will be buried with Joe.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Wabasha Fire Department, Wabasha Historical Museum or family.
Services entrusted to Abbott Funeral Home & Crematory, Wabasha, MN.  Words of sympathy or remembrance may be left at www.abbottfh.com.