Richard "Rich" Tonelli

Richard “Rich” Rudolph Tonelli, age 78 of Allouez, passed away on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. He was born on August 6, 1948, in Chicago, Il to the late Rudolph and Gloria (Costabile) Tonelli. After graduation from high school, Rich went on to attend Marquette University undergraduate and dental school. He married the love of his life, Christine Benzing, in Thiensville, WI on June 30, 1973. Their 53-year romance began in Father Mac’s cafeteria in the Marquette Dental School when Rich came over to borrow the mustard. Rich practiced dentistry for 39 years and attained Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry. He felt great pride and affection for his patients and tried to make everyone’s experience as comfortable as possible. His patients meant the world to him.

Giving back to the community was very important to Rich. He shared his great love of baseball by coaching several Babe Ruth teams. After he had his children, he proudly coached several of their softball, baseball and basketball teams. Rich developed many lifelong relationships with the work he did for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. A highlight was attending Brewers Fantasy Camp with his good friend Jeff Schauder where he hit a double off of Rollie Fingers. He enjoyed trips to many different ballparks over the years with friends Milt Drier, Dan Koster, Jeff Schauder, and Jay Terzis.

He was an avid reader and especially enjoyed studying the Civil War and traveling to many battlefields with his son Charlie. In his retirement years, he enjoyed a newfound love of cooking and baking. He would spend hours in the kitchen perfecting each recipe. It brought him great joy to share his treats with those around him, especially his wife’s tennis friends.

One of the highlights of his life was finding his relatives in Italy and developing a close relationship with his Italian cousins. He enjoyed many years of travel around the world with his family, with special affection for Italy and New Zealand. Mackinac Island had a special place in his heart and he enjoyed several trips there with the Destino Family and his children and grandchildren over the years. He was fortunate to spend 11 winters on Marco Island and delighted in taking his grandchildren to Disney World.

Becoming a father and grandfather (Nonno) was by far his greatest accomplishment. His love of his family was evident and he never hesitated to tell others how proud he was of his family. Rich will be forever missed and loved by his wife, Christine, children; Danielle (Matt) Mathai, Elm Grove, WI, and Charlie (Suzanne) Tonelli, Madison, WI, grandchildren; Eva, Mariam, Rose and Leo. He is further survived by his sister, Carla Tonelli, Arlington Heights, Il, brothers and sisters in law; Patrick Hurley, Jeanette (Bill) Cassidy, Rosalie Benzing, Terese (Scott) Stetter as well as many special nieces, nephews other relatives and friends, especially his best friend for over 58 years, Jay Terzis.

Preceding Rich in death are his parents, his sister Patti Hurley and father and mother in law, Charlie and Eva Benzing.

Family and friends may gather on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at Resurrection Catholic Parish, 333 Hilltop Dr. Green Bay, WI from 9:30 to 11:30, with the Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 11:30 with Fr. Robert Kollath officiating. At Rich’s sincere request, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to CureJM.org or battlefields.org

“Everyday is a Gift”