Richard James Sargent

Born: March 11, 1948

Died: October 2, 2026

Richard J Sargent, age 78, joined our Lord and all his departed loved ones on Friday, October 2nd, peacefully at home.

Richard is survived by his children Scott, James, and Adam (Brianne) Sargent; Nelida Sargent; grandchildren Junior (Bianca) Pacheco, Jeliza Pacheco, AJ Sargent, and Adonis Sargent; brother Donald (Judy) Sargent, sister-in-laws Kookie Countryman and Rose Dzurko, and brother-in-law Ed (Tina) Dzurko. Numerous nephews, nieces, cousins and friends also survive.

Richard was preceded in death by his loving wife Judy (Dzurko) Sargent, parents Walter and Catherine Sargent, brother Walter (Butch) Sargent Jr., and sister Phyllis Tally.

Richard was born and grew up in Joliet, attending St. Joseph Catholic School and Joliet Central High School. He was married in 1970 and moved to New Lenox in 1973. Rich was a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves and began working at Caterpillar Tractor Company in Joliet in 1966. He remained an employee of Caterpillar for over 52 years, finally retiring in 2019.

Rich was an avid bowler, golfer, and euchre player, enjoying countless opportunities to enjoy these activities and the relationships he gained through their participation. He was always first to help with home projects and never shied away from a home improvement challenge. Rich improved his faith later in life, attending and volunteering at Parkview Church in New Lenox. Rich was very blessed to have continued lifelong friendships from all areas of his life.

The family would like to thank all family, friends, and neighbors for their love and support through calls, texts, messages, and prayers. The family would also like to thank Lightways Hospice and the University of Chicago Cancer Center for their excellent care.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Parkview Church in New Lenox in Richard Sargent’s name.

Per Richard’s wishes, cremation rites were accorded.

A Celebration of Life for Richard will be held Saturday, November 14th from 12pm-4pm at the Joliet Moose Lodge at 25 Springfield Ave, Joliet, IL.