Remembering Al Richter

Waukegan Yacht Club life-time member Alfred Reynold Richter passed away peacefully on December 29, 2025 at the age of 99. Upon learning of Al Richter’s passing I reached out to members to share their recollections to include in this post along with information shared by his family.

A memorial service and celebration of Alfred’s life will be held in August in the Waukegan Yacht Club.

Albert was an executive member of the Waukegan Power Squadron and taught celestial navigation at Adler Planetarium. He is remembered as a crucial representative of the Waukegan Yacht Club’s mentoring legacy; he wrote columns, gave lectures, and taught safe boating to many new boating enthusiasts. He is remembered by many to emphasize that safety and the thrills of boating adventures are not mutually exclusive and for reminding us that Nature has a way of adding spice to each planned adventure and to every aspect of life on our beloved Lake Michigan.

His greatest joy came from cruising Lake Michigan aboard his cabin cruiser, The 7Rs, where laughter was loud and the spray was constant and family and dear friends listened with anticipation for the phrase “this will be fun” which almost always truly meant “hold on.”

Al loved his family deeply, and his passions were power boating and anything seasoned with a little extra enthusiasm and laughter. Moderation was for calm water—and Alfred rarely encountered either. He firmly believed that salt, sugar, and butter were not food groups to be limited, but life choices to be celebrated, as was a daily dose of German Piesporter Reisling wine.

             Moderation was for calm water—and Alfred rarely encountered either. 

Although Al was born in Chicago on August 3, 1926 his family moved to Germany in 1939. After the war, he worked as a translator at the Nuremberg War Trials and spent time in Sweden assisting with the investigation into a Nazi sympathizer and key figure in the Wallenberg Family finances.

He attended the University of Heidelberg before returning to Chicago in 1950 where he met his future wife, Doris Ann Normile. Al and Doris raised five children: Jim, Fred, Carol, George, and Gaye. Alfred and Doris shared 41 years of marriage before Doris passed away from breast cancer in 1995.

In 2000, Alfred married Ann Trowbridge Lawrence. Their marriage was filled with joy, companionship, and shared adventures. They cruised Lake Michigan on Our Lady, their Chris Craft cabin cruiser. Together they learned Spanish, took dance lessons—including the tango—and traveled widely through Europe, South America, Mexico, Canada, and on American riverboat cruises. They talked and read together in the evening, enjoyed time on their patio and treasured outdoor dinners with family at the Cabana Bar. Al was warmly embraced by Ann’s family, including her children David, Bob, Kathy/Kate, and Philip, and their spouses, and he in turn became an inspiration and source of love to them.

Alfred R. Richter is survived by his children; Jim (Laurie Friedman) Richter, Fred Richter, Carol (Scott) Wicks, George (Mary Timmons) Richter, and Gaye (Mark) Crosby; his stepchildren; David (Cheryl Haggarty) Lawrence, Robert (Barbara Cooper) Lawrence, Katherine (Phil) Roos, and Philip (Juana Gomez) Lawrence, and his nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; thirteen step grandchildren, nine step great-grandchildren and many beloved relatives and friends. He is preceded in death by his loving wife of 41 years Doris Normile Richter and his devoted second wife of 25 years Ann Trowbridge Lawrence Richter.

Contributions may be made in his honor to the Cancer Wellness Center, Chicago, Illinois.
https://www.cancerwellness.org/

I encourage all long term members to think of Albert and collect stories with others who shared time with him and make note of them to share with his family in August or through updates to this post in the coming months.

With warmest regards,

Nikki Sullivan