Chester (Chet) W. Richards of Audubon

Chester (Chet) W. Richards, age 89, loving husband of the late Marion “Jane” (Borkey) Richards, of Audubon, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 18, 2019 at his home in the presence of his loving caregivers Elizabeth Scott and Tenneh Harris.

Born on April 16, 1930 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was a son of the late Thomas and Edna (Dierenbach) Richards.

Chet was raised by his grandparents George & Eugenia Dierenbach then the innkeepers at the Valley Green Inn in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia from 1930-1944.

Chet had a challenging childhood coming from a ‘broken home’ in the 30s and 40s but always found a way to persevere through the adversity and difficult times in his life. His father, a policeman in Cheltenham, instilled a deep love of the outdoors, hunting and fishing which Chet has passed on to his sons.

Chet went on to attend Cheltenham High School when his mother took him out of school to work. When his father returned from the Pacific after WWII he went to live with him and attended Germantown High School. There he would meet the love of his life Jane in the a capella choir. Chet lettered in baseball, football and wrestling. With his characteristic sense of humor, he attributed his success to the fact that; “the class was so small they barely had enough to field a team.”

He graduated with the class of 1947. After Jane finished nursing school they were married in 1951. Shortly after his marriage to Jane, he was drafted into the U.S Army and served honorably in the Medical Corps rehabilitating wounded and burned soldiers at Ft. Sam Houston during the Korean Conflict; “holding the line against the North Koreans in San Antonio, Texas.”

After being discharged from the service, Chet and Jane returned to Philadelphia and Chet joined the Insurance Company of North America (INA). Sons Brian joined the family in 1954 and Jeff in 1957 and shortly thereafter Chet was transferred to the Wichita, Kansas, office and 5 years later to the Kansas City office. Chet and Jane took advantage of the geography by taking the boys camping and fishing monthly and for the annual 2-week vacation all across the U.S and Canada covering nearly all of the 50 states.

They resided in Kansas City until 1972 before moving back to Philadelphia to the “home office” as Chet rose through the executive ranks through hard work and dogged determination. Despite never attending college he was always pursuing insurance certifications as his Horatio Alger story unfolded. Chet was a self made man who used his determination, street smarts, and good judge of character to climb his way up the ladder of success.

He was later a Senior Vice President with Swiss Reinsurance then President of Mead Reinsurance in Dayton, Ohio which he and his partner bought from Mead to become Mid States Reinsurance where Chet was the President up until the time of his death. Chet managed to attend the Stanford Graduate School of Business on an executive exemption while with Swiss Re and was very proud of his late in life college degree.

In his spare time, Chet was a very active golfer and collector of way too many clubs and at one time was 2 handicap. He was always up for an adventure. His sons had him in a wetsuit diving for abalone on the Northern California coast in his 60s. They also deviled into a fly in fishing trip to the mosquito infested Yukon, (but fishing was good) at 67. He was also very involved in the Masonic lodge in Kansas where he was a 32nd degree Mason.

Chet is survived by his two sons, Jeffrey W., husband of Kelly A. (Imes) Richards of San Carlos, CA, and C. Brian, husband of Janet N. (Nack) Richards of Walnut Creek, CA; Predeceased by He is also survived by his brother & sister-In-Law, Howard & Maribeth Bonington of South Dennis, MA; and four loving grandchildren, Samuel, Liza, Thomas, and Livia Richards.

In addition to his loving wife Jane and his parents, Chet was preceded in death by his grandparents, Eugenia & George Dierenbach. And his brother George “Nick” Richards; one half-brother, Jackie Farrell.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Ceremony at The Shannondell Ashcroft Building Card Room, 10000 Shannondell Dr., Audubon, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 3:00 pm. Friends will be received from 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm on Saturday prior to the services. Officiating will be the Rev. Dr. Moses Suah Dennis. Burial will be held privately at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Cape Abilities Inc., 895 Mary Dunn Rd., Hyannis, MA 02601.

Condolences may be made by visiting www. PhoenixvilleFuneralHome.com.

Arrangements are being handled by the Campbell - Ennis - Klotzbach Funeral Home, Inc., Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.