Kenneth Lee Richter, age 76, peacefully passed away at home, with his loving family by his side, on Nov. 1, 2023.
Ken was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 17, 1947. The automobile capital of the world distilled in him a fascination with cars. However, he didn’t stay there long. When he was 12, his family moved west in search of warmer weather. They found themselves in California. While there, Ken met the love of his life, Billie Jean Olson, a rambunctious redhead who stole his heart. The high school sweethearts were married in 1966, and they moved to Canyon Country to start a family shortly after. During that time, Ken and his older brother Dennis opened up their very own mechanic shop, called K&D Automotive. Later, Ken and his family decided to move to Oregon, after hearing rave reviews from his father. Although they loved the lush green it offered, it didn’t offer much in terms of work, so they quickly moved back to California, landing in Lancaster in 1987. The following year, Ken survived a massive heart attack. He decided to reduce stress by working for a company, instead of owning one, and ended up at Ford. He put in a good 10 years there, but his entrepreneurial spirit could only be tamed for so long. In 1998, Ken and Billie moved to Big Water, Utah, to pursue a lifelong dream of being close to Lake Powell and owning a boat storage. This is where he lived out the rest of his life, launching boats for grateful customers and lucky relatives, running his successful business of 25 years, and expanding even more by buying storage units and condos. He is remembered for his sense of humor, devotion to Dachshunds, and love for the outdoors. His family has many fond memories of spending quality time with him, such as being thrown off innertubes by his reckless driving, lazy cabin getaways in Big Bear, quad riding in the desert, and spending Saturdays at Saugus Speedway and Indian Dunes, where he would race cars.
Ken left a great legacy that will no doubt will be carried on for generations. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Billie Jean Richter, and his three daughters: Tina Western, Sherri Richter and Vanessa Babcock, as well as his five grandchildren: Shalee Western, Jami Bond, Ashlynn Orton, Tabitha Babcock and Tanner Babcock. He also had nine great-grandchildren: Travis, Riley, Zaylee, Rylen, Weslee, EmmaMarie, Kodah, Talos and Maelynn. He was preceded in death by his parents Clifford and Lorraine Richter, and his three brothers, Dennis, Michael and Thomas.
The funeral service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at First Baptist Church of Page at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at Page Cemetery. Arrangements were made with Mosdell Mortuary of Kanab.
