Albert Richey Obituary

Albert "Al" Richey Jr. of Durango, Colorado passed away on November 11, 2018 after a short illness. He was born to Albert and Alice (Russell) Richey in Chickopee, Massachusetts in 1939. He earned degrees in mechanical engineering from UMass Amherst and RPI. He married Dorothy Williams; that marriage later ended in divorce. After working at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft for a number of years, and making many long-term friends in the process, he went to Mechanical Technology Inc. in Latham, NY to work on automotive Stirling engines. This project led him to work with a Swedish company; he was entranced by Swedish customs and visited several times to keep contact with friends. During this time he met and married Janet Dahlquist and together they moved to a country farmhouse and spent their time cutting firewood, gardening, running, backpacking, and dabbling in antiques. Their love of the outdoors led them to Colorado, and they made the move to Durango in 1996. Al opted for a career change and went to work at Purgatory Resort, where he found his perfect niche as a ski instructor. He loved the snow but more important to him was sharing his enthusiasm for the sport. After a severe illness in 2011 he vowed to have more fun and bought a sailboat, a desire planted during his teen years on Cape Cod.

Al is survived by his wife, Jan, his sister Gail Ruediger , and his former wife, Dorothy Ciocci, along with nieces, nephews and their offspring. A celebration of life will be announced at a later date.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Durango Herald on Nov. 20, 2018.

Memories and Condolences
for Albert Richey

8 Entries

Nicki Massieon

December 11, 2018

Al was the kindest man. I'll remain eternally grateful to him for making sure Joe Fly had a place in ski school even amidst Joe's Parkinson's. I'll remember him through the projects he and Joe did around the house - the deck, floors, windows.... The world has lost a great heart.

Jeff Kohlhardt

December 2, 2018

Al took me in and "showed me the ropes" as a new ski instructor. His smile, encouragement and sincerity made me feel connected .

Al was proud of his PSIA level 3 ski instructor status. Following him on early morning runs before the opening bell was always a delight.

Returning for the new ski seasons he was one of the first faces I looked for.

I miss him already

Jeffrey Kohlhardt

Art Donahue

November 27, 2018

I've known Al for almost forty years. All the way from the old MTI softball league to his retirement. We traveled all across the country testing and demonstrating various vehicles. He had a way of explaining the technical aspects of what we were doing to everyone. Al was also the finest writer I ever worked with.
For the last few years we've had a sort of reunion working together, along with another retired coworker, John VanHeertum, in San Antonio. Al hadn't changed a bit. Same voice, same smile, same clear way of talking. He will be missed by all of us.

Robert V.

November 26, 2018

My heartfelt condolences to the Richey family. Always cherish the memories that you have and remember that God is always there for us like it tells us at 1Peter 5:6,7. I hope you continue to feel the love and support from your family and friends.

Anne Clifford

November 24, 2018

Al was a wonderful man- so full of life.

Hop Phelps

November 23, 2018

Al was a great guy. One of my first experiences with him was sharing a ride to a PSIA exam in the Vail area. He always had a smile and something nice to say. My condolences Jan. -Hop

Marie-France Boese

November 23, 2018

Al, dearest friend, you touched so many lives with your big heart, your kindness and your compassion. We shared so many memories over 19 years of friendship. We will never forget. The hardest part of loving you though is to say goodbye. Your smile, your laughter (with a little bit of curry) and your spirit will live forever in our hearts. Jan, you are in our thoughts and prayers. Mark and Marie-France

JOHN VAN HEERTUM

November 21, 2018

Al and I go back many years to when I started working at MTI in the Stirling Engine Division in 1983. I learned early on that when an engineering decision needed to be made, Al was the one to help decide what was right. I gained an immense amount of knowledge working with him testing our prototype vehicles over the road. We also got to share many laughs in our travels. He was such an easy going man to work with and did he ever know his stuff about engineering. Although he left the Albany area in which I live and worked, life's pathways got us back together again 17 years later to help a small company in San Antonio, Texas reincarnate a Stirling engine that had been in storage for 30+ years at a NASA facility. Our small team of Al, myself and Art, and electronics expert, traveled to San Antonio numerous times to get the engine running and then to demonstrate it to many different entities who showed interest in it. I will always remember those times shared with he and Art on those trips. They were at times trying but overall...fun. I will always remember Al for the terrific man that he was.
God Bless him and his wife, Jan. May he rest in peace.

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