Richard “Dick” Wehrli was a lifelong Naperville resident and community leader. He was a 1956 graduate of North Central College where he majored in business and was a star basketball player according to his obituary. He served in the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant from 1958 until 1962.
Wehrli began his career in the ready-mix concrete business before going on to start Naperville Ready Mix, Naperville Excavating and Easy Street Construction, becoming an industry leader. In the late 1970s, he started a general contracting company, Mustang Construction, and Dukane Precast with several partners.
North Central College gets first true stadium
Recognizing a need and opportunity, Wehrli stepped up to help his alma mater in 1976 along with fellow alumni Al Benedetti ’48, Larry Gregory ’51, and Don Deetjen ’66, led an effort to reuse, repair and revitalize the bleachers from Old Sportsman’s Park, the former home of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team in St. Louis, Mo., to provide North Central with its first true athletics stadium. The Chicago Tribune referred to their tireless and selfless efforts as the “$18,000 Miracle in Naperville.”
When Naperville suffered the historic flood of 1996, which damaged the stadium beyond repair, Wehrli and Benedetti jumped in. Both men donated time and treasure to construct a new state-of-the-art stadium and the Cardinal Stadium was renamed Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in their honor in 2003.
Wehrli was an active member of the North Central College Board of Trustees from 1981 – 2004 and continued to serve as a Life Trustee.
Original Naperville Riverwalk Commission member
Wehrli served on several different boards including a bank, collective bargaining associations, and civic organizations. He was a founding member of the “Naperville Navy,” the original group of civic leaders who came together to build the Naperville Riverwalk and was appointed to the inaugural Naperville Riverwalk Commission.
Dick was 90 years old.
Dick is survived by his sons, Robert Wayne (Janet) Wehrli of Naperville and Mayor Scott (Lynda) Wehrli of Naperville; his grandchildren, Maggie Wehrli, Molly (Kevin) Lee, Katie (Scott) Schlesinger, Bobby Wehrli, Samuel and Hope Wehrli, great-grandchildren, Ellie, Abby and Wyatt Lee and Luke & Liam Schlesinger. Sisters, Carol (Jerry) Doll, Ann Jansen and sister-in-law, Beverly Wehrli.
Visitation will be Thursday, August 1, from 3:00 until 8:00 PM at the Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 44 S. Mill St., Naperville. All are invited to gather on Friday, August 2, 11:00 AM at SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, 36 N. Ellsworth St., Naperville for the Mass of Christian Burial. A private family interment will be at Lincoln Memorial Park, Aurora, IL.
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Photo courtesy of Legacy.com
