APCO member Richard H. Tuma, 76, passed away June 16, at his home in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, after a long career in public safety. Tuma retired as the director of emergency preparedness in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in 2013 and held positions as APCO Chapter Life Member, Illinois Chapter president, 1999-2000, vice president, MAAP member, State Conference chair and Legislative Committee chair. He also held positions in NENA.
The New York native served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and taught high school before beginning his career in public safety with the City of Beloit, Wisconsin, Police Department. In 1986 he moved to Illinois to manage the Quad-Com Regional Dispatch Center in Carpentersville. He also served as director, Du-Comm Communications Center, Glendale Heights, Illinois; and director, RED Center, Glenview, Illinois.
Tuma is survived by his wife Louise Rose (Kohout) Tuma, whom he married on March 20, 1971, in Montgomery, Minnesota; and by his children Jennifer (Glenn) Theriault, Joseph Tuma, and Christine (Michael) Strong.
Visitation is Friday, June 23, at Toynton Walworth Funeral Home, 328 Kenosha St., Walworth, Wisconsin, 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. A funeral mass will be celebrated Saturday, June 24 at 11 a.m. at St. Benedict Catholic Church, 137 Dewey Ave., Fontana, Wisconsin. Burial will follow at Roselawn Memory Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Open Arms Free Clinic, St. Benedict Church, or Arbor Day Foundation. Read the complete obituary.
