Barbara Richter Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

The memorial Mass for Barb Richter of rural Verndale will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 3, at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Wadena. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. at St. Ann’s Parish Hall in Wadena, with a Christian Mother’s rosary at 5:00 and prayers at 6:00 p.m. Visitation will resume at the church on Friday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the Mass. Burial was held previously in St. Hubert’s Catholic Cemetery, Blue Grass, MN. Barbara Anne (Macho) Richter passed away on May 24, 2022, at her home near Verndale, MN, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She fought valiantly. Barb was born on Friday, August 13, 1954, to Caroline Alberta “Tutti” (Adamietz) Macho and Isidor Henry Hubert Macho at Thiel Hospital, Bertha, MN. (Many of you are nodding your head thinking, “Ah, Friday the 13th. That explains so much!” As it should. Barb was a spitfire and the universe tried to warn us.) She was the oldest of seven children, Barb, Mary, Joe, Darlene, Monica, Victor, and Joyce. She graduated from Sebeka High School in 1972. Barb met Dennis Richter in the summer of ‘69. Needless to say, it was love at first fight. The story went something like this: both were at the roller rink after an incident that started with jaywalking and ended with a strawberry malt thrown at Dennis’ GTO’s windshield. You can guess who did what. Later, when they saw the strawberry malt girl at the roller rink, Dennis’ friends dared him to skate with her. Never one to turn down a dare, especially one with a financial payoff, Dennis bravely asked Barb to skate. Barb, being amused, allowed him to skate with her. The rest is history. Barb and Dennis were married on August 19, 1972, in Blue Grass, MN. Barb and Dennis went on to have four children, Tyna, DJ, Jessica, and Theresa. Barb had a long and varied career. She worked on the farm, throwing 100 pound haybales on sweltering summer days. She waitressed at Ted and Gen’s in Aldrich. Most recently she waitressed at Oma’s in Wadena, just to visit with people, and maybe a little for the treats. She was a bookkeeper for RTI Trucking. Barb stayed home to raise her four delightful and rambunctious little children. She drove bus and was a Title One Paraprofessional at Bertha-Hewitt Schools, where she received multiple awards for her work. Some of her fondest memories were with her one-on-one kids from school. She loved both the kids and the adults. Over the years, Barb also taught many CCD classes. Her most recent group went on to receive their first communion this May. Wherever Barb went, she had fun and loved her work. She was a people person. She loved people, and they loved her. Barb had many hobbies and always enjoyed reading, gardening, being with her family, and traveling. Barb loved traveling with her family, especially if it was to see other family and friends. Her favorite trips were seeing the Pope in Rome, and Caroline in Switzerland. She loved working on her farm with her chickens and various other animals. She always had a soft spot for animals. She took in many different furry friends over her life, including a raccoon when she was young, a deer, and once she even cared for a lost pet skunk. Animals seemed to know that they would find a safe haven with Barb. She took first place in several three-wheeler pulls and was always up for adventure. But honestly, we think she enjoyed pranks more than anything else. To this day, there are people who will check their car handles before opening the door, just in case Barb has been in town and decided to spread peanut butter or Karo syrup on them. I believe it is mandatory to lock the bus doors in bus garages at night due to Barb teasing another driver when she left a stuffed skunk on his seat. Large family get togethers were always risky. We have heard many stories of food fights, and there is one special ham sandwich that has quite a history. No card sent would be complete without the requisite glitter bomb. There are more stories, but they aren’t being shared because some pranks still haven’t been attributed to her, and the family wants to let her keep her secrets. Barb was preceded in death by her mother, Caroline Macho. She is survived by her father, Isidor; husband, Dennis; children: Tyna (Bill Hornung), Dj (Sara Swenby), Jessica (Dave Burskey) , and Theresa (Abdulgader Elazhari); and grandchildren: Evan, David, Benjamin and Alexandra. In lieu of flowers, Barb requested that donations in her memory be made to Covenant House. (www.covenanthouse.org) Barb had hospice care from Lakewood Health System in Staples, organized by Dr. Julie Mayers-Benson and Alexis. Alexis was an angel sent to Barb and Dennis in their time of need and the family would like to thank her for her dedication. Barb was one-of-a kind. She was glad to have you as a friend, and tolerated some of us as relatives. She wished for more time with you, because she did love you. Thank you for being here for her. Barbara’s Family

Barbara Richter

August 13, 1954 - May 24, 2022