Richard W. Rath Jr.

1945 - 2022

Richard W. (Butch) Rath, Jr

July 26, 1945-May 21, 2022

WATERLOO-Richard W. (Butch) Rath, Jr, of Waterloo, passed away Saturday, May 21, 2022, at Grande Ji Vante in Ackley, IA. He was born in Seattle, WA on July 26, 1945 to Richard W. Rath and Charlotte Hall Rath during the time his father served in the Navy in the Pacific Theater. At the conclusion of the war his family returned to Waterloo. He graduated from West High School in 1963. He attended and graduated cum laude in Studio Art from Trinity College, Hartford, Conn, in 1967. In 1970 Richard graduated with Masters in Architecture from Univ. of Pennsylvania. He then worked for Louis Kahn architectural firm in Philadelphia until 1972. He married Jane Sobuta in 1970, later divorced. He worked in various architectural firms in the San Francisco Bay area, then returned to Waterloo in 1975 where he remained a self-employed architect until 1995. In 1983 he married Barbara Higgins, later divorced. He was a member of AIA and enjoyed tennis, bridge, and reading. And the St. Louis Cardinals. During Richard's later years he met health challenges but remained inquisitive and generous to those in need. A memorial gathering is planned for a later date.

Richard is survived by his sisters Elizabeth (Quegg) Rath of Iowa City, Rebecca (Schoell) Rath of Champaign IL, Charlotte Ann Rath of Denver CO, half-sibling Charles Boyer of San Diego CA, and Aunt Jean Hall of Seattle WA. Richard was also "Uncle Butch" to nephews and nieces: William Walker Schoell of Champaign IL, Benjamin Simon of Brooklyn NY, Elizabeth (Meiners) Schoell of Minocqua WI, and Dr. Claire Simon of Tucson AZ.

Memorial donations may be made to The Nature Conservancy or to Trinity College, New Haven CN.