I am Conservation

Edna A. Richter Estate Donates $2.2M

An all-around sportsman, angler and hunter, Robert Richter was well-suited to his position as a conservation agent. “Robert just loved the outdoors; he loved everything about it,” says Judy Kinkead, a close family friend. “He also loved his work. He couldn’t imagine doing anything else.” Robert was encouraged in his outdoor pursuits, and later in his conservation career, by his parents, Edna A. Richter and Paul Richter Jr. “Paul enjoyed both fishing and hunting,” says Kinkead, “while Edna’s favorite vacation combination was fishing and shopping!”

Mindful of her husband’s love for hunting and fishing and the satisfaction that her only child derived from his work as a conservation agent, Edna A. Richter designated the Conservation Department as the primary beneficiary of her estate. When she passed away in February 2007, she left funds exceeding $2.2 million to the Department. In accordance with the terms of her estate, the funds will be used in her name and the names of her husband, Paul Richter Jr., and her son, Robert Richter, to promote the hunting, fishing and shooting sports.

Edna A. Richter was born in 1922 in St. Charles and was employed for 25 years with American Car Foundry Industries. Her husband, Paul Richter Jr., who preceded his wife in death, was born in Sedalia in 1921 and was a WWII veteran, serving as a paramedic in both the Navy and Marines. He was at Iwo Jima when the famous flag-raising photograph was taken. He was also a sales representative for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company for 35 years. The couple married in 1948. Their son, Robert Richter, was born in 1949 and served as a conservation agent in Benton County prior to his untimely death in 1981.