Ex-jail official battles cancer

With a deep love for his work, it didn’t come as any big surprise that one of the hardest days of Richard Wandrey’s life would be when he was forced to quit for medical reasons.
After almost 29 years with the Steele County Detention Center in Owatonna, Wandrey admits he had tears in his eyes when he turned in his notice in February. He had served as assistant jail administrator for the past four years and wanted to hit the 30-year mark, but his body is failing and won’t allow him to hit that milestone. 
Over the years, Wandrey got into a few scrapes with unruly inmates, but he’s now in for the biggest fight of his life. He is dying from cancer.
Doctors have told Wandrey, 63, that his life is nearing an end, though he doesn’t want to focus on that and wishes to not disclose what the exact timeline is that he has been given.
“I don’t want to say I’m done because I’m not,” he said during a recent interview filled with some tears and lots of laughs. “I don’t dwell on it because I know I’m going to go further than the outlook they gave me. I’m not thinking of dying.”
Asked if he will ever give up the fight, Wandrey said: “Hell no. I don’t have one foot in the grave. I’m looking to stay alive.”
But the battle is becoming more difficult as the days go on. Wandrey says he could care less about food any more because “I can’t taste anything.” He is also often exhausted and naps a lot. 
His former wife, Sherry MacPherson, has turned into Wandrey’s caregiver. He also has two daughters and three grandchildren around the Owatonna area. “Dick is a tough, private guy,” MacPherson said. 
 
Rare form of cancer
Wandrey was diagnosed with stage 3 papillary renal cell carcistage 3 papillary renal cell carcinoma in September 2012. He refers to it in simpler terms as “a very rare form of kidney cancer,” which is non-curable. He had his right kidney, partial adrenal gland and lymph nodes removed.  
In March 2014, Wandrey was airlifted to a Rochester hospital after suffering a heart attack. Doctors performed a balloon angioplasty. Given his medical history, it was determined that he was not a candidate for radiation or chemotherapy treatments. 
Last August he began taking oral chemo medication in an effort to control the cancer. A few weeks later he had a severe reaction to the medication and was hospitalized again. The reaction caused a small stroke. 
He had an enlarged cancerous lymph node removed in January and once again began taking oral chemo medication. In February, things took a turn for the worse when doctors diagnosed him with a progressive form of carcinoma. He was told work was out of the question for him ever again. He had not been at work since last August and had hoped to come back in April. 
“It sucked. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear. It was tough to take,” Wandrey said of the doctor’s order to stop working. “I live day by day and do what I can,” he said. 
Loved jail work
During his public service career, Wandrey rose through the ranks and served as a correctional officer, detention sergeant and finally assistant jail administrator.  He was considered a valued member of the transition team who played an essential role in the move to the new jail in 2003. 
Wandrey says he loved everything about his jail work, especially mingling with the inmates. He prides himself with always making an effort to treat the inmates with respect. “They respected me for treating them like a human being,” he said. “If you show them respect, they treat you with respect back,” he added. 
He took it upon himself to make every effort to get inmates ready to go back into society and be productive citizens. Wandrey hopes through his gift of gab he has transformed some inmates over the years into getting their lives back on track. 
“They’re not caged animals,” Wandrey said. “They’re just people who made mistakes and some of them were bigger than others.”
Sheriff Lon Thiele recalls Wandrey playing an important role in helping Thiele learn about the detention center after becoming sheriff four years ago. “He assisted me with learning some detention center knowledge that I wasn’t aware of,” Thiele said. 
Thiele described Wandrey as a great employee whose departure will leave a big hole to fill at the jail. “He takes almost 30 years of detention center knowledge with him and he will be missed,” the sheriff said. 
Even though he can’t work any longer, Wandrey still goes out to visit the jail staff when his health allows him to. 
 
Cancer benefit
The sheriff’s office, along with family and friends, is planning a benefit for Wandrey on May 9 from 5 to 10 p.m. at the VFW Club in Owatonna. There will be a silent auction and food will be served with a free-will offering. 
There will also be entertainment from the So Big Band of the Twin Cities. The group, which offers a variety of classic, current and country rock, is donating its time. 
Cash donations can also be made at any US Bank location in Owatonna. 
“What the sheriff’s office is doing is beyond thoughts,” Wandrey said. “I can’t even comprehend it.”
Wandrey hopes people will come out and if nothing else at least enjoy the band. 
He has no regrets about his life, though he had hoped for a different kind of retirement than what he’s getting. 
“I hope I led a good life,” Wandrey said. “I’ve always tried to help people. I want to be remembered as a good guy.”