Richard P. “Carpy” Kivi passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 in Long Beach, CA. He was born in Kenosha, WI on March 17, 1928 and was the son of Walter and Gertrude Kivi.
Richard was a 1946 graduate from Mary D. Bradford High School, where he not only excelled academically, but also as a varsity athlete. He lettered in basketball twice (Forward, Big 8 Conference) and lettered twice in football (QB, Big 8 Conference). In 1945 he quarterbacked the team to a Big 8 Conference Championship and a number 2 ranking in the state. He was inducted into the Kenosha Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, where a ceremonial banquet was held. He gave an amazing speech which will long be remembered as the greatest and longest one ever recorded in sports history! He played football as a freshman at Marquette University, and he lettered twice while attending UW-Whitewater, playing offensive half-back and defensive cornerback. He and the Warhawks went undefeated, leading the nation‘s colleges in team defense. Richard was a graduate of UW-Whitewater State Teachers College where he obtained a degree in education, English and mathematics. He also earned degrees in accounting and data processing from UW-Parkside. In his earlier years, he was a teacher at Mary D. Bradford and Union Grove High Schools. While at Bradford, he coached Sophomore Basketball. He also coached Junior High Football at Lincoln and McKinley. He coached Kenosha Hall of Fame stars Eddie Hart and Harry Stoebe while at Lincoln. Richard also played semi-pro football with the Kenosha Redskins and professional softball with Racine Metal Parts. Richard served our country in the U.S. Army upon his graduation from high school. Richard retired from Gateway Technical College, Kenosha Campus, in 2001, after being employed there for the majority of his career, teaching accounting and data processing. He was an avid golfer and placed in the County Open (Class A), Kenosha Golf Association handicap match-play and Class A Club Championship at Spring Valley Country Club. In his leisure time, Richard spent quality time with his family on various golf courses. He enjoyed watching sports; especially basketball, football and golf. He liked to listen to music or tuning into old classic musicals on TV, dancing, and spoiling his faithful dogs.
Richard is survived by his four loving daughters and their spouses, Karen (Jan) Bogdanovich, Laura (Brian) Herzberger, Paula (Eloy) Gaitan and Patricia (Tim) Jenson; his beloved grandchildren, Paul Bogdanovich, Leah and Luke Herzberger, Rachel and Karlee Jensen; his brother Robert Kivi; his brother-in-law, Donald Fornero; his sister-in-law, Teresa Fornero, several nieces and nephews and their families, and his dear friend, Rosie Smith.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Gertrude Kivi; his devoted wife of 51 years, Lois (Fornero) Kivi; his sister, Betty Josephson; his brothers-in-law, Robert Fornero, George Fornero, James Fornero and Howard Welch; and his sisters-in-law, Rita Fornero, Frances Fornero, Betty Schutz, Lavern Bartkus and Doris Welch.
A Memorial Service honoring Richard’s life will be held on Sunday, July 14, 2019 at 12:00PM at the Piasecki Funeral Home (3720 39th Avenue, Kenosha). Full military honors will follow the service at the funeral home. Inurnment will take place on Monday, July 15 at 11:00AM at St. George Cemetery. A gathering of relatives and friends will be held on Sunday from 10:00AM until the time of the memorial service. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, please make memorial gifts in memory of Richard Kivi to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, Wall Street Plaza, 88 Pine Street, Ste. 2400, New York, NY 10005 or Susan G. Komen, PO Box 650309, Dept. 41831, Dallas, TX 75265, would be appreciated. Richard’s family would like to express their deepest gratitude to his Hospice care team at the VA Hospital in Long Beach, CA for their outstanding care and support.