South Milwaukee has lost a dedicated community servant, public official, and educator – one who has touched countless lives.
Richard Grobschmidt passed away on Saturday at the age 68.
Rick, son of longtime South Milwaukee Mayor Chester Grobschmidt, graduated from South Milwaukee High School in 1966. He returned to teach political science at the school before serving five terms in the state Assembly and parts of three terms in the state Senate, chairing both the Assembly and Senate education committees.
Rick left the Senate in 2003 after he was appointed assistant state superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction. He retired from the DPI in 2010.
“I find it is now time for me to say good-bye to my DPI family and spend more time with my South Milwaukee family,” he said at the time.
Rick’s South Milwaukee family will miss him. We lost a great man.
Services are planned for Friday at Divine Mercy Parish.
Did you know Rick? Please post your memories below.
South Milwaukee Blog 
Good man good life.
A good and decent man.
He was my teacher, Youth Group mentor & chaperone and a good friend. He will always be remembered and very missed.
I am so saddened to hear of Mr. Grobschmudt’s passing. As a SMSH student in the early 80’s, he was an important part of my youth. In my senior year, I was coordinator of the Ethnic Fair and he was faculty mentor. I learned so much from him that year. I remember the morning after John Lennon was shot, I went to his classroom first thing in the morning. He was playing Beatles songs and let me sit in his room and cry. He was an amazing teacher and an amazing person.