John Erwin Richert
1932 – 2012

On June 5, 2012, John Erwin Richert passed away peacefully with his loving family by his side. He was born on September 17, 1932 to John and Agnes Richert of Watrous, Sask. He grew up on a farm north of Manitou Lake. This began his love for nature. After high school he began working for the Department of Highways. He attended Swift Current Bible School for a winter semester and then enrolled in Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. In 1955 John married the love of his life, Edith Schroeder. They were blessed with 2 children, Carolyn in 1962 and Grenville in 1964. He graduated in 1959 and returned to work with the Department of Highways. While employed with the government he was first stationed in Prince Albert as an Assistant Engineer, then North Battleford as a District Engineer and finally Regina as Equipment Engineer for the province. In 1965 he left the government to pursue a position with General Engineering Co. in Toronto. His work there was primarily in the design of the Potash Mine near Lanigan, Sask. When the design work was complete the family moved back to Saskatchewan and lived at Guernsey while the mine was being constructed. When that was complete, in 1968, the family moved to Prince Albert. John found a way to pursue another of his lifelong passions – aviation. He joined Athabaska Airways Ltd. and worked as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer on both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. Eventually he was promoted to Chief Engineer. He retired in 1997 from aviation, but was active as a consulting engineer in heating and air – conditioning working primarily for Mid Con Engineering. The birth of his grandchildren Jonathon and Christina was a joy and a blessing for him. They continued to bring light to his life until the end. No matter how rough the day had been the sight of them arriving always brought a smile to his face. He enjoyed the trips they made to Manitou Beach together and was extremely proud of their accomplishments. John was predeceased by his son Grenville; his parents John and Agnes; his brother Arthur; his brothers-in-law Ben and Eldon Schroeder and John Friesen. He is survived by his wife Edith; his daughter Carolyn (Peter) Vis and their children Jonathon and Christina; his sister Helen (Bill) Weeks, is sisters-in-law Joan Schroeder, Ruth Friesen, Gert (Bill) Williams, Hilda Wiebe, Ruth Schroeder, Alice (Walter) Wintonyk and Alex (Joanne) Schroeder. The family would like to express our sincere appreciation to the staff at Jubilee Lodge (Kinistino) and Pineview Terrace (Prince Albert) for the kind and compassionate care that they gave John and his family. Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at the Grace Mennonite Church, 250 – 28th Street West, Prince Albert, SK with Pastor Ryan Siemans officiating. Interment will be held at a later date. Donations in John’s memory may be made to the Grace Mennonite Church for the Mennonite Central Committee. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.grays.ca. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Gray’s Funeral Chapel, Drew Gray, Funeral Director.
 

• Date : 2012-06-05 06:00:00
• Location : Prince Albert, SK