Ernest Walter Richter

• 

Richter, Ernest Walter Died September 2, 2017 at age 92 in Salt Lake City. Walt preferred using his middle name. He was born in 1925 in Chicago to Engelbert Richter (1883-?) and Anne D. Fritz (1905-1980). Anne came to the U.S. with her siblings around 1921 from Feldbach, Austria where she returned with her son for several years. From aged 10, Walter was raised by his aunt Adele Fritz (1903-1973) and uncle Hugh Turrittin (1906-1999) who settled in Minneapolis in 1940. Following graduation from West High School in 1943, during WWII Walt served in the U.S. army in the Philippines. After the war he completed an arts degree at the University of Minnesota pursuing his interests in radio broadcasting, speech and theater. From 1951 to 1955, Walter was a staff announcer for Radio Hilversum (Netherlands). He continued his radio work at Purdue University, West Lafayette IN. Walt and Mary Jo Brock of Kansas City KS, married in 1956. They had two childrenLeslie Ellen, born in 1958 and Steven Hugh, born in 1960but they later divorced. Walt continued his academic career in 1958 in speech and radio at the University of Southern Illinois (SIU, Carbondale IL). He obtained an MA at Michigan State University at East Lansing MI, in 1960, and a PhD in 1969 from SIU. In 1971, he took up an academic position at York College in York PA, retiring in 1990. In retirement, Walt lived on Madeline Island, WI, then in Albuquerque, followed by East Ft. Myers, and Salt Lake City where his son lived. Among his accomplishments, in the 1960s Walt produced one of the earliest radio documentaries on ragtime music and jazz for SIU's radio station WSIU. Several decades later, he helped found the Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve of La Pointe WI. During his last years, he loved watching movies from the golden years of Hollywood film. Walt led a full life as a veteran, university professor, actor, singer, violinist, equestrian, and boat captain. He passed away after a long decline. Walter was predeceased by his parents and step-parents, uncle Ernest Fritz (1902-1979), aunts Carla Gerstenbrand (1895-1973), Walpur-ga Porsche (1906-1958), and cousin Rose Marie Johnson (1935-2015) (Paul S.) of Danbury WI. He is survived by his former wife Mary Jo Richter, son Steven (Susan Carol) and grandson Andrew, all of Burlington VT, daughter Leslie Richter of Mill Valley CA, and cousins Anton (Jane) Turrittin of Toronto, Canada, Rachel Schmitt, of Paris, France, Ute Hodges of La Pointe, WI, Ernie Fritz of West St. Paul MN, and half-niece Janice L. Johnson and daughter Skyler of Studio City, CA.

Published on January 21, 2018