Richard J. Virchow

Richard James Virchow, 71, of East Hartford, CT, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May, 18, 2025. Born on January 19, 1954, he was the son of the late William and Roberta (Lees) Virchow. Born in Whitinsville, MA, he grew up in Martha's Vineyard, but eventually moved to Portland, CT. Richard graduated from Portland High School in 1972. He was the youngest person hired as a Glastonbury Police officer in the history of the department in 1973. He gave 32 honorable years of service to the Town of Glastonbury, excelling as an investigator in the areas of computer crimes and research long before it became the norm. As Detective, he attended many off-site training sessions over the years including one very special one led by Dr. Henry C. Lee, who worked on many high-profile celebrity cases. Richard was a versatile conversationalist and loved nothing more than exchanging ideas with friends or family over a good meal. He loved going out and trying new restaurants or sticking with his favorites (many times he and his dining companions would find themselves being gently reminded that the restaurant was officially closed and they should think about leaving). Time really did stop when you were in his company. He was the "Norm" of the 99 Restaurant in Glastonbury because everybody really did know his name. Sometimes he'd go in for lunch and stay for dinner. Richard also enjoyed traveling with a close family friend to their family vacation spot in the Thousand Islands; he took this trip numerous times and always came back with exciting stories to share. Richard was also a very good artist and shared this appreciation with a family friend who also excelled at drawing and took him to Comic-Con. After retiring from the force, Richard spent his time relaxing exactly as he wanted to – soaking in all sorts of media on true crime stories, war history, weaponry, and fascinated by aircraft and submarines in particular. He would spend as much time on his iPad as he could, keeping up with friends, making new ones, and researching various topics that he'd share in regular emails with his loved ones. He also started attending a Monday morning coffee group consisting of eight (8) Glastonbury Police Department retirees who were also dear friends: Skip Thomas, Dave Foran, Dave Caron, Keith Carlough, John Mitchell and Howard Charbonneau. Richard is survived by his beloved daughter, Jaime Faith Soter; his brother Kenneth (Judy); his sister, Marilyn (Ed); his nephews, Jay (Michelle), Jeff (Tory) and Eric (Ruth); his niece, Janice (Josh); and many grand-nephews and grand-nieces. Richard also leaves behind his first wife, Debbie (Steele) Soter, and his second wife, Jean A. Peterson. A private celebration of life will be held for friends and family on June 1, 2025; as such, in lieu of flowers please feel free to make a donation in his memory to one of the following: Smile Train, American Diabetes Association, Connecticut Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation. Special thanks go out to the East Hartford Police Department (specifically Officer Omar Ortiz) and the caring staffs at Glastonbury Healthcare Center and Cobalt Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, who gave Richard the invaluable gift of time.