John T. “Jack” Frick, 85, of Dubuque died Saturday, September 17, 2022. Visitation will be from 9:30-10:45 a.m. Friday, September 23, at the Church of the Resurrection, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. Committal will be in Resurrection Cemetery. Celebration of Life ice-cream social will be held at the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens Sunday, September 25 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Bring your families and friends to celebrate the life of this amazing husband, father, grandfather, and community leader.

Jack was born October 24, 1936 in Dubuque He was the son of Alois and Elizabeth (Behrens) Frick. He attended Dubuque schools and graduated from Loras Academy. On May 26, 1962, Jack married Diana Wagner in Dubuque. They recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

Jack was a hard worker all his life, deeply devoted to providing for his family. He worked at Trenkle’s delivering meat to local grocers before the sun shone on the horizon. Later he worked at Kunkel’s Auto Shop in East Dubuque followed by his several years at Mike Finnin Ford, retiring as service manager. He was always an early riser. Preparing for the day’s tasks and customers was a priority of Jack’s.  

Jack had a passion for cars and plants. The former was his day job; the latter was his life’s passion. A member of the Tri-State Garden Club for several years, Jack was a natural choice when it came to initial development of the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. He was President from 1982-2021, facilitating everything such as: expansion of programs, land development, volunteerism, donations, and personnel. In particular, Jack enjoyed working with volunteers. “The expertise they all bring to the Arboretum is refreshing and stimulating for me,” he recalled in a personal chat with a daughter of his. Jack enjoyed talking with the students and visitors that frequent the Arboretum for concerts, ceremonies, family gatherings, exercise, and daily visits. He was proud to be such an integral part of one of the best places Dubuque has to offer.

Jack prioritized family. Yearly he visited his daughter June in Oregon and wintered with his daughter Joan in Arizona, where he volunteered at the middle school where she was the principal. He attended sporting events, spoke to 8th grade classes about personal finance, participated in job fairs, judged the spelling bee, distributed treats to Honor Roll recipients, attended concerts and plays, participated in parades, and attended school board meetings. Additionally, visits to Mexico were commonplace as were trips to the casinos in Tucson.

Jack is survived by his wife of 60 years, Diana Frick; two daughters, June Lucas of Forest Grove, Oregon and Joan Molera of Rio Rico, Arizona; one son in law, Rudolfo “Rudy” Molera of Rio Rico, Arizona; three grandchildren, Claire Lucas of Ashland, Montana, Jess Lucas of Corvallis, Oregon and Jacob Molera of Rio Rico, Arizona; two sisters, Sue Simon of Dubuque and Barb Smith of Westminster, Colorado; two sister-in laws, Joan Zimmerman of Dubuque and Mary Wagner of Australia; one brother in law, Harold “Skip” Zimmerman of Dubuque; and several nieces and nephews.  

He was preceded in death by a sister, Marna Kunkel; son-in-law Jim Lucas; and three brother in laws, Dave Simon, Jay Smith, and John Kunkel.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.

The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Bethany Home for their wonderful care.