Victor Richter

Victor Joseph Richter passed away on March 6, 2021. He was 91. Mass of Christian burial will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 9 at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, 519 Raymond St, Bismarck.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Bismarck. A rosary followed by a vigil service will begin at 7 p.m.

Burial will be held at Menoken Cemetery, Menoken.

Victor was born in Logan County on Oct. 26, 1929, the firstborn son of John and Theresa (Schmidt) Richter. When Victor was a young boy, they moved and settled on a farm south of Menoken. This farm would become a defining reality of Victor’s life, happily making it his home for 80 years.

Even more, Victor’s life would be defined by the Catholic faith. In fact, his high school and college years were spent in seminary formation. However, it became clear to him that his path was marriage and family life. So, he returned home and farmed with his father.

On Feb. 14, 1957, at a Valentine’s Day dance, Victor met God’s great gift to him, Mary Rose Splonskowski. Her love for him was the anchor of his life. Victor and Mary were married at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on Oct. 26, 1957. They were blessed with four daughters and ten sons. Victor and Mary spent their lives practicing the Faith, raising their family and growing the farm. God’s love for them, their love for one another and their family would ultimately define Victor.

What he treasured, he handed on. His love for the farm was given to his boys. His sons, Marlyn and Patrick, with their wives, Susan and Denise, have shown the same great care and pride for the farm as Victor did. The family will always be grateful to our two brothers and their families whose hard work has made it possible for us to continue to enjoy the Richter family farm. Most importantly, he passed on his love for the Faith. It brought him great joy seeing his children and grandchildren loving Jesus and the Church by their practice of the Faith. He felt humbled and privileged to be the father of two Catholic priests.

We are grateful to God for Dad, and we are grateful to God for being so good to our Dad throughout his entire life. God’s last great show of kindness to him was the stirring and expression of goodwill for Dad from so many who visited him over the past six months. This was made possible because his daughter, Mary Ann, and her husband, Leland, took Dad and Mom into their home. The family will be forever grateful for their sacrifice.

Victor is survived by Mary, his wife of 63 years; 14 children and their spouses: Gary (Coreen) Richter, Marlyn (Susan) Richter, Mary Ann (Leland) Vetter, Paul “Luke” (Amy) Richter, Colleen (Tim) Reisenauer, John (Sandy) Richter, Monsignor Thomas Richter, Father David Richter, Marc (Jill) Richter, Patrick (Denise) Richter, Jerome (Sara) Richter, Andrew Richter, Teresa (Blake) Fiedler, and Lisa (Matthew) Prindiville; 61 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; five sisters: Elvira Rogstad, Johanna Nagel, Elizabeth Moch, Leona Richter and Kathleen Winkler; and two brothers: Henry and Richard.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Theresa; sister, Madonna; and brother, James.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please make gifts to the “Diocese of Bismarck Seminarian Fund”. They can be sent to: Fr. Jordan Dosch, Office of Vocations, P.O. Box 1575, Bismarck, ND 58502-1575.