Richard "Dick" W. Cable

Richard W. (Dick) Cable of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday, February 17, 2022, after a short cancer illness. He was 88 years old.
 
Dick was born in Fond du Lac, on April 6, 1933, to Ward & Ethel Cable. The Cable family moved to Stevens Point in 1936 when Ward was transferred with the Soo Line Railroad as Division Engineer. He graduated from PJ Jacobs High School in 1951 and went on to graduate from UW-Madison in 1955.

Dick married Marlene Jensen of Stevens Point on August 8, 1959. While they lived in Stevens Point, their family grew with four children – Kurt, Dan, Kathy, and Jodi. The Cables moved to Eau Claire in 1972 when Dick was appointed General Agent with the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company for the Northwestern Wisconsin region, where he led the agency until retiring in 1993. His wife, Marlene, passed in 2009 after a long battle with cancer.
 
He is survived by his four children, Kurt (Tammy) Cable, Rochester, MN; Dan (Lizzy) Cable, Denver, CO; Kathy (Chuck) Caskey, Denver, CO; Jodi (Randy) Welch, Sherrard, IL; 12 grandchildren, Rich (Amanda), Brianna, Kate and John (Emma), Madeline, Frances, Cooper, Charlie, Maria, Benjamin, Aidan, Brennan; 4 great-grandchildren, Melanie, Morgan, Lila, Colin; sister, Judy Cable Anderson, Stevens Point, WI, sisters-in-law, Lois Cable, Stevens Point, Nancy Jensen Charlton, Murphys, CA, Claire Jensen Hansen, Watertown, WI, brothers-in-law, Win (Butch) Jensen (Joanne), Madison, WI, Steve (Pam) Jensen, Stevens Point; many beloved nieces and nephews; and special friend, Lori Juneau.
 
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ward & Ethel Cable; his wife, Marlene; brothers, William (Virginia Fischer) Cable and Robert Cable; half-brother, Donald Lezer; and brother-in-law, John Anderson.

Dick was a believer that virtually everything one receives, does, accomplishes, accumulates, or gives away is a gift, for which he was truly grateful. For example, two of the most cherished awards from his life-long love affair with basketball was receiving the coveted Big 10 Medal for the Class of 1955, given to one student-athlete from each graduating class for Scholarship & Athletic Prowess, and being inducted into UW-Madison Athletic Hall of Fame in the Class of 1998.

What Dick appreciated most from his professional career was his achieving membership as a Life & Qualifying Member of the Million Dollar Round Table and receiving Northwestern Mutual’s General Agents Achievement Award in 1989.
 
He often said he was fortunate to “be in the right place, at the right time” to be able to gift his time for the benefit of others. Dick helped start the Eau Claire Community Foundation and led efforts to bring the Heritage Editions of the St. John’s Bible to the Chippewa Valley Area and UW-Madison Libraries. Dick was also given the opportunity to be the Chair of the Former Men’s Basketball Players Group that helped fund the new Kohl Center for the Madison campus.
 
Dick and Marlene were especially thankful for receiving two philanthropic awards while in Eau Claire: The Good Samaritan Award given by Luther Hospital, before it merged with Mayo, and the Chippewa Valley Professional Fundraiser’s Philanthropic Award presented in 2004.
 
Another recognition that gave Dick a great deal of joy was being inducted into the Eau Claire Chamber’s Hall of Fame. He used to quip, “not bad for a Life Insurance Guy.” Also, there was a great deal of satisfaction in being able to help fund Phoenix Park and the Pablo Center at the Confluence. These projects prompted him to often quote one of his mentors in saying, “We made it here, and we want to leave it here.”
 
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial gift to the Eau Claire Community Foundation at  https://eccfwi.org/fund/dick-and-marlene-cable-family-fund/ or the non-profit for which you are most passionate. 

The service will take place at 11:00 am on Saturday, February 26, 2022, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1314 E. Lexington Blvd., Eau Claire, WI 54701 with Pastor Patrick Patterson officiating.  To view the service virtually, please use the link provided http://www.trinity-ec.org/.  The visitation will take place on Friday, February 25, 2022, at Hulke Family Funeral Home from 4-7 pm.  There will be no visitation time at the church on Saturday morning before the service. The family invites you to join them at the Florian Gardens, 2340 Lorch Avenue, Eau Claire, immediately following the service on Saturday afternoon for food and fellowship.  

Friends and family may offer condolences online at www.hulkefamilyfh.com. Hulke Family Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 3209 Rudolph Road, Eau Claire, WI 54701 is assisting the family with the services.