Bruce Frederick Richter (1923 - 2014)

Born 29 Apr 1923 in Snohomish, Washington, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Sylvia (Zahler) Richter — married 10 May 1945 in Snohomish, Washington, United States

Died 25 Oct 2014 at age 91 in Snohomish, Washington, United States

Biography

Son of Arthur Richter and Bertha Laabs.^[1]

He was the brother of Margaret and Charles Richter. The family was living in Mukilteo in 1930.^[2]

Bruce was best friends with Bill Anderson. They fished in the bay and in the local streams. They played baseball and football in the yards and fields. They had odd jobs around town. One summer, they got a job with the Black Ball ferry line doing maintenance on the boats.

When Bruce and Bill were attending Everett High School, they acquired an old automobile engine, chassis and car body and some other parts. From these they built a jalopy or hot rod. The vehicle had two seats and they took turns driving it up and down 4th Street. They decided to run it up and down the steep Goat Trail Road for a little fun.

They had great fun driving the car to the top of the hill. Going down, however, the brakes failed. The two seventeen-year-old boys were not terribly concerned, however, until they noticed the car was on fire and it was not slowing down. They also lost control of the steering. Time to bail out. They decided they could make one last corner and steer the car toward the tree-filled ravine.

They jumped into the road and watched the car disappear over the ledge. They saw it tumble to the bottom and the fire quickly burnt itself out. They dusted themselves off and walked home. Probably they made it in time for dinner. Just another day in Mukilteo.^[3]

Bruce was age 16 and living with his parents in Mukilteo in 1940.^[4]

Bruce married Sylvia "Tude" Zahler 10 May 1945 in Snohomish County.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ "Washington, County Birth Registers, 1873-1965", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6HMM-RST2 : 22 December 2020), Bruce Fredrick Richter, 1923.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCQ8-MXW : accessed 11 June 2021), Bruce Richter in household of Arthur Richter, Mukilteo, Snohomish, Washington, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 97, sheet 9B, line 60, family 261, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2520; FHL microfilm 2,342,254.
3. ↑ "Wild Ride on the Goat Trail," by Neil Anderson (Bill's son), MHS Newsline (Mukilteo Historical Society), Winter 2014, pp. 1, 3. https://mukilteohistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/mhs14winter.pdf
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9S6-LNB : 6 January 2021), Bruce Richter in household of Arthar Richter, Mukilteo Election Precinct, Snohomish, Washington, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 31-125, sheet 3B, line 57, family 87, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4360.
5. ↑ "Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP99-SJRX : 24 April 2021), Bruce Richter and Sylvia Zahler, 1945.

• "Washington Death Index, 1965-2014," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLWM-PPZ3 : 13 July 2017), Bruce J Richter, 25 Oct 2014, Snohomish, Washington, United States; from the Department of Health, Death Index, 1907-1960; 1965-2014, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives (https://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Collections/TitleInfo/472 : n.d.); Citing Washington State Department of Health.