Paul Richter

September 15, 1921 - June 21, 2022

LA MESA — Paul Richter was born on September 15, 1921 in Hardin, Montana, and passed away on June 21, 2022 in La Mesa, California. He grew up on a sugar beet farm in Edgar, Montana during the Great Depression. His parents, both of German ancestry, had immigrated from Russia as teenagers. He served in the U. S. Navy for 30 years from 1939 to 1969 - a period spanning World War II, the Korean War, and the early Vietnam War. He held all ranks from Apprentice Seaman to Lieutenant Commander.

During WWII he served for three years as a chief radioman in an anti-submarine squadron on the coast of Brazil. He received two Air Medals (one presented by Eleanor Roosevelt), the Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Commendation, and all theater ribbons.

During Korea, he served in a transport squadron hauling men and supplies. In the 1950’s, he had an assignment at Lakehurst, NJ, with a squadron of blimps that patrolled the East Coast for Soviet submarines. In 1954 he took part in a world’s record endurance flight of 200 hours, flying a blimp along the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to the West Indies without refueling.

After gaining an officer’s commission (no easy task for an enlisted man at that time), he served assignments as base Electronics Officer and

Communications Officer. During the Cold War he was sent to England where his unit provided logistical support to our submarine facilities in the area. He ended his career at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego. After retiring from the Navy, he worked for 12 years with a defense contractor in Encinitas, California.

Paul was a faithful and supportive husband and father. He was married to Anna Mae Winburn for over 60 years. Paul and Anna Mae loved to travel, taking cruises to Hawaii, the Mediterranean, Germany, and Russia. Anna Mae passed away in 2010.

He is survived by his son, Thomas P. Richter of Omaha, NE; his daughters Joyce A. Purcell of La Mesa, CA and Jean M. Richter of Alameda, CA; his grandson Brendan T. Purcell of Tustin, CA; and his granddaughter Sheila E. Purcell of Los Angeles, CA. We could not have asked for a more loving and caring Dad and Grandpa.

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