Richard J. Wolszon Jr.

Richard (Dick) Joseph Wolszon Jr. of St. Paul, Minnesota died unexpectedly on October 9, 2025, a profound loss for his family, friends and colleagues. Dick was born on June 10, 1947, the first child of four to Richard J. Wolszon Sr. and Margaret Zimmer Wolszon. 

A graduate of North St. Paul High School and the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology, Dick made his living as an electrical engineer for Sperry-Univac (later UniSys), initially assigned to NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center where hedesigned and installed the computer systems that tracked the earliest Apollo space flights as they circled the globe. Among his subsequent assignments he engineered computing systems for the U.S. Navy that detected and processed sonar transmissions. 

Always a lover of learning and of anything related to science, Dick followed his official retirement with a second career as a volunteer in the Paleontology Department at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Over the course of 20 years, he recovered and assembled several dinosaurs that found a home in science museums across the United States, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Ever the outdoorsman, Dick nevertheless left myriad fish and fowl on his beloved planet for future generations. When not outdoors he built up a comprehensive wood and metal shop in his basement, using it to fabricate parts for personal projects, to repair things that his family broke (and counted on him to fix), and to teach the next generation how to be self-reliant. Dick will be remembered by his loved ones for his joyous bark of a laugh, his midwestern hugs, and his warmth and kindness towards all.

Dick is survived by Maryah (Mary Rush) Wolszon, his spouse of 51 years, daughter Jamie K. McKinley (Andrew), son Joshua F. Wolszon (Lauren Banach), grandchildren Cameron McKinley and Wynne M. Wolszon, sisters Margaret Wolszon (DeGay Ernst), Elizabeth Wolszon (John Montilino) and Laura Wolszon (Eduardo Macagno, d.), sisters-in-law Blair MacIinnes (Gordon), Victoria Vallely (Thomas), and Katherine Stenson Lunt (Rob), and nieces and nephews Francesco and Lucia Macagno, Camille and Natalie Montilino, Benjamin, Stockton and Alex MacIinnes, Mary Blair and Charles Vallely, Whitney Gordon and Sheehan Jenkins.

A celebration of Dick’s life will be held at O’Halloran & Murphy (575 Snelling Avenue South), on November 7th, 2025: visitation at 10:00, memorial service at 11:00, and lunch immediately following at the Science Museum of Minnesota (120 Kellogg Boulevard West). In lieu of flowers memorials preferred to Doctors Without Borders or The Wikimedia Foundation.

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