Arthur F. Rizzi

Arthur “Art” Francis Rizzi,94, died at home with his family on the evening of June 2, 2016. Art was a resident of Eau Claire for 54 years, more than 50 of those living in the house he designed and had built for his family on Drummond Street. He was a civil engineer, and had been the general manager of the former Phoenix Steel Company and with Hoeppner Construction Company in Eau Claire. He continued to work as a consulting engineer well into his 80s, and his projects included a number of prominent buildings, plants and bridges in the Eau Claire area and around the Midwest. Art was born in Livingston, Illinois, on March 1, 1922, to Arthur Rizzi and Josephine Rizzi. His father was born in the Tyrol region of what was then part of Austria and is now northern Italy and immigrated to the United States. His mother was born in Vulcan, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula. Art grew up in Milwaukee and in the Upper Peninsula, with his aunts and uncles in and around Iron Mountain. Before the Second World War, he attended what was then Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and studied engineering. He attended on an athletic scholarship and played football, basketball and baseball. Because the country needed more engineers when the war broke out, when Art joined the Army, he was sent to Princeton University in New Jersey, as part of the Army Specialized Training Program, or ASTP. The faculty at Princeton included Albert Einstein. In 1944, the ASTP was ended, and Art was sent to Europe with the 104th Division (known as the Timberwolves Division), as a private first class. He was wounded in combat near Aachen, Belgium, just before the Battle of the Bulge, and was evacuated, first to England, and then back to the United States. He carried pieces of shrapnel in his leg, as a "souvenir" of his wartime experience. He received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, among other medals. After returning from the war, Art enrolled at the University of Wisconsin. He played varsity basketball and baseball, and his basketball team won the Big Ten championship in 1947 and played in national tournaments as well. For the rest of his life, he was an enthusiastic Badger fan and was a member of the W Club, the organization of Wisconsin varsity athletes. For many years, he attended most home football games in Madison, sometimes sitting in the press box. On July 8, 1947, he married Helen Marie Baetke (known as Mickey), whom he met when they both worked in Milwaukee summer park programs for children. Art and Mickey moved to the Twin Cities area, where Art completed his Masters Degree at the University of Minnesota. Over a career spanning more than five decades, Art worked as a civil engineer for a number of steel companies, including American Bridge (part of United States Steel Corporation) in Chicago and Minneapolis, Crown Iron Works in St. Paul, and Phoenix Steel in Eau Claire. Art was an active member of the Eau Claire community and was one of the longest-serving members of the Eau Claire Golf and Country Club, where he spent many a weekend and Wednesday afternoon. Along with Wisconsin sports, golf was his passion. He and Mickey had almost 20 winters in Port Charlotte, Florida, so that Art could play golf all year round. Art and Mickey had two children, Robert Arthur Rizzi, born December 25, 1949, currently living in Bethesda, Maryland, and Jane Marie Rizzi Stromwall, born March 2, 1954, and currently living in Summit, Wisconsin. Art and Mickey had six grandsons, Joseph, Andrew, Nicholas and Charles Stromwall and Christopher and Warren Rizzi; one granddaughter, Charlotte Rizzi; six great grandchildren (London, Harrison, Emma, Isaac and Cayden Stromwall, and Clark Rizzi). Art is preceded in death by his father and mother; his sister, Elizabeth Weiss; his brother, Lawrence Rizzi; and in-laws August and Ellen Baetke. Art lived a full and rigorous life, and was loved and will be missed by his whole family. Mass of Christian Burial for Art will be held at 3:00 PM, Friday, June 10, 2016 at St. James the Greater Catholic Church, 2502 11th St., Eau Claire, with Father Tom Krieg officiating. Visitation will be from 4-7 PM, Thursday, June 9, 2016 at Lenmark-Gomsrud-Linn Funeral Home, 814 First Ave., Eau Claire, and one hour prior to services at the church. Inurnment will take place at Forest Hill Cemetery following services. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to University of Wisconsin Foundation Athletic Department/Men’s Basketball, 1848 University Ave, Madison, WI 53726; Mayo Clinic Health System Dialysis Unit, 1221 Whipple Street, Eau Claire, 54701; Feed My People, 2610 Alpine Rd, Eau Claire, WI 54703; or to a charity of your choice.

Service Information

Visitation

Thursday, June 9 2016
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Lenmark-Gomsrud-Linn Funeral & Cremation Services
814 First Avenue
Eau Claire WI 54703

Mass of Christian Burial

Friday, June 10 2016
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

St. James the Greater Catholic Church
2502 11th Street
Eau Claire WI 54703