Remembering Richard

Richard Charbonneau, of Strauss Skates & Bicycles, died Jan. 11 at age 81.

Charbonneau and his wife, Elizabeth, turned their professional energy toward hockey when they started working together at Strauss Skates & Bicycles in 1983. Charbonneau applied the same grit and determination to Strauss as he did to his earlier auto racing (NHRA) career, determined to provide the best products possible to his customers.

Charbonneau’s honesty and attention to detail grew into partnerships between him and the hockey manufacturers to push the limits of technology and ultimately develop better, lighter, faster, more durable and protective equipment. Charbonneau worked with a local machine shop to create the “Strauss Rocker,” which was a very early, cutting-edge multi-radiuses rocker. He took pride in knowing that he taught his successful business strategies to his daughter Jenelle and her husband Shaun. Charbonneau transitioned the day-to-day operations of the family business to the fifth generation.

He leaves behind a legacy that will inspire generations through his passion, sportsmanship and the thrill he brought to everything he did.

More info on his background can be viewed in the full obituary here…

https://www.muellerbies.com/obituaries/richard-charbonneau