Richard T. Sliwka, 89, of Riverside died on March 29, 2020, at his home, in the presence of family.
Mr. Sliwka received his B.S. degree from Seton Hall University in 1953. Following college, he served in the U.S. Army from October 1953 to October 1955 in the medical corps.
After his service, Mr. Sliwka relocated to Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1961. This was also where he met his future wife, Rita, in the museum store in 1959. They were married in 1963.
Mr. Sliwka taught art in Chicago and suburbs for the Archdiocese of Chicago and taught Science at South Shore High School. He retired from teaching at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy School in 1993. He was a devout Roman Catholic and attended many Opus Dei meetings.
One of his greatest loves was the arts. His paintings and digital artwork lined the walls of his Riverside home. In retirement, Mr. Sliwka found inspiration with digital art, which he created with computerized light pens in his upstairs computer lab. Some of this work has been displayed at suburban art exhibits and shows.
He also loved music, and his tastes ranged from classical to jazz and bluegrass with Talking Heads thrown in for good measure. Anyone who met Mr. Sliwka quickly learned of his love of good conversation, and he could talk with a degree of knowledge on a variety of subjects. He also had a passion for photography and had his own dark room for developing back in the day.
Mr. Sliwka was a devoted husband to Rita (nee Gailloreto); the father of Greg, Karla (Thomas) Witte, Martin and Jason (Jolene); the grandfather of Kayla, Kurtis, Kendall, Camilla and Grace; and the brother of the late Stanley (late Carol).
Private funeral services are at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 1, at Ivins/ Moravecek Funeral Home, 80 E. Burlington St., Riverside. Interment is at Queen of Heaven Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at St. Mary Church at a later date.
