Gerald Richter

RICHTER, Gerald (Jerry) Gerald (Jerry) was born April 16, 1939 in Nokomis, Saskatchewan where he was raised by his parents John and Mary Richter, growing up with two sisters Florence and Glenda and his aunt Janice Weiss. As a child he was taught to speak German and therefore struggled in grade one at the Newlands country school when he would spell cat as katz. Jerry would later attend the Nokomis town school. Jerry broke his arm when he was five while getting the cows. The local doctor in charge did not set the arm properly and Jerry's parents were advised that he would need it amputated. A second opinion saved Jerry from having his arm amputated, but lead to having an arm 1/2 inch shorter than the other. Jerry attended the Nokomis Baptist Church, taking part in the youth activities and as a youth was baptized on the confession of his faith in Jesus Christ his Savoir. In 1956 he made a decision to move to Edmonton to attend The Christian Training Institute now known as Taylor College. It was here while attending school he met his wife Selma Paul and on July 15, 1961 they were married in Regina, Saskatchewan. Jerry applied to Edmonton Telephones but was told he needed more electrical experience before they would hire him so he apprenticed as an electrician with Melvin Metke Electric before being hired by Edmonton Telephones in 1963. At 25 years of age, Jerry was asked to be an instructor at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology for 5 years under contract with Edmonton Telephones and later as the technical instructor for Edmonton Telephones at their training centre. He worked for Edmonton Telephones until his retirement in 1997. He continued to teach apprenticeship courses in Calgary for a couple of weeks each year until 2002. Jerry enjoyed traveling, camping and teaching his kids to ski, bike and skate, which included many weekend trips to Banff. He traveled to many places and especially like cruising. He ran a soft top trailer rental business and loved camping. Every long weekend and many in between would see Jerry taking the wife and kids to some camp ground in Alberta. Jerry truly did have a zest for living and a love for his family and friends. He is survived by his daughter Melanie and his son Kent, two sisters Florence (Dennis) Haskell and Glenda (Don) Grimm, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and many good friends. Jerry was predeceased by his wife Selma on December 1, 2006 and his parents John and Mary. A Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. at Glenwood Funeral Home, south of Wye Road on Range Road 232, Sherwood Park. Interment and a reception will follow at Glenwood Memorial Gardens. Donations in memory of Jerry may be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Alberta or to the Mustard Seed Church. GLENWOOD 780-467-3337 Funeral Home, Cemetery, Cremation Ctr. Serving Edmonton - Sherwood Park & Area