Richard Edward Banks
Friday, July 11, 2008 5:47 PM CDT
Richard Edward Banks went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, July 8, 2008. He died at Red Cedar Medical Center with his family at his side. Richard, or Dick as everyone knew him, was born in Renton, Pa., on Jan. 24, 1942. He lived in Pennsylvania with his family until, as a young man, he traveled to Washington State to learn piano tuning. He moved to Wisconsin in the early 1960s.
He moved to Menomonie in 1984 to attend UW-Stout. This was where he met his wife, Carol, and they were married for the past 22 years. Dick and Carol had long enjoyed the natural beauty of the area, especially the Red Cedar State Trail where they took long walks whenever they had the chance. The whole family, which consists of four children from Dick’s first marriage, and an adopted daughter, always enjoyed each other’s company with many family gatherings over the years. Dick and Carol were members of Oak Ridge Lutheran Brethren Church for almost as long as they were married.
Dick was legally blind since birth, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying life to the fullest by playing in bands when he was younger, selling merchandise in music and sports stores, becoming a parent and then going on to school. All these experiences enriched his life. Over the years, he found ways to adapt to the environment so he could enjoy all the opportunities that were available to him in his education, work environment and even in his personal world.
One of those first experiences in Menomonie was when he became the “computer expert” in the computer lab at UW-Stout in the mid-1980s and then also assisted the staff at the library to promote assistive technology on campus for students with disabilities. Dick’s ongoing work with adaptive technologies led to his employment with an organization called EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information). He was involved with EASI for around 20 years, and, as a result of this association, he enjoyed meeting people from all over the country and the world. In 1996, Dick traveled to Thailand to work for Princess Ratchasuda, helping them to bring adaptive technology for people with disabilities into their country.
He also traveled with his partner, Dr. Norman Coombs, to Ireland for collaboration with other individuals devoted to technology and individuals with disabilities. Within the last few years, he also traveled to Mexico where an organization for children with disabilities asked for his expertise in working with the schools there to teach them about adaptive technology. EASI became a world-renowned leader, teaching about barrier-free Web design, especially for people in higher education. Consequently, Dick and Norm became experts in the area of distance learning that surpassed the need to even consider disability because when they taught over the Internet, a person didn’t even have to know if either teacher or student was disabled.
People in the community also came to know Dick and his family when they operated an Internet café from 2000 to 2004 in downtown Menomonie. He came to be respected as a local computer expert and a people person when customers came in to patronize the business. Dick was very fortunate to have gained many friends over the years as a result of his travels and because of all of the people he came in contact with through these other associations, but especially because of his captivating personality.
Dick Banks was preceded in death by his mother, Pauline Ewing Banks. He is survived by his wife, Carol; his five children, Greg, Shawn, Renee, Jason and Pam; 19 grandchildren and one great grandchild; his father, Guy Banks; his brother, Greg; sister-in-law, Madge; nieces and nephews, and many friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Oak Ridge Lutheran Brethren Church.
Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 11, 2008, at Oak Ridge Lutheran Brethren Church in Menomonie with Pastor Aage Larsen officiating.
Olson Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Menomonie served the family.
To express condolences online, please visit obituaries at www.olsonfuneral.com. |
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