Richard Thomas Callinan

Richard “Dick” Callinan, age 81, a proud St. Paul Irishman, born to Wally and Helen Callinan, passed away on February 11, 2025, after a courageous battle with a rare and aggressive form of lymphoma. Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Dick grew up in a strong Catholic community and was a proud attendee of St. Mark’s Elementary and a graduate of Cretin High School. After high school, Dick served overseas in the Army spending much of his military service in Germany. Upon his return to the states, he attended St. Cloud State where he played football, excelled in journalism and met his future wife, Kathy, a fellow St. Cloud State graduate.

Dick will be remembered as a devoted husband, a wonderful father, a loving grandfather and a loyal friend. Dick was a lifelong fisherman who loved his annual fly-in fishing trips to Canada with his fishing buddies. He also loved playing racquetball, pickleball, softball and working out (socializing) at LA Fitness. Dick learned to play the guitar and the keyboard by ear and never shied away from leading sing-alongs around the campfire and during holidays with family and friends, never forgetting to include his hit song “Hey Loddy Loddy Lo.”

Dick loved taking his family on camping trips to enjoy swarms of mosquitoes and the hot Minnesota summer sun. He also loved spending time at his log cabin up on Round Lake in Aitken, Minnesota. Dick loved his career in trucking/sales, continuing to work part-time until the last few months of his life. More than anything Dick loved spending time with his kids, especially his two grandkids. He was known as a great storyteller, often using his famous stories to help the kids wind down at the end of a long day. Dick never turned down a trip to White Castle, often washing down the sliders with his favorite drink, Arnie Palmer.

Dick was active in his church, St. Michael’s Lutheran, where he enjoyed planning and participating in social events and other activities. Dick, who was raised with nine brothers and sisters, was a family-man at heart and will be dearly missed by his wife of 54 years, Kathy, his loving children, Molly, Andrew (Suzanne), Will (Lauren), wonderful grandkids Thomas and Adalyn, and his surviving siblings, Jim, John, Mary, Mike, Pat and Katie and close friends. Services will be held at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Roseville, MN on Friday, April 4, 2025. A visitation will begin at 11:00 am followed by services at 1:15 pm.