Richard “Rick” Reuter was born on February 4, 1954 to Virgil and Gloria Reuter in Bemidji, Minnesota. His childhood was spent playing sports and spending time at the lake. After graduating from Bemidji High School, he went to St Olaf College, graduating with degrees in Math and Physics. He then attended the University of Illinois where he received a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering.
He was recruited to work for The Boeing Company in the summer of 1978. A year later he met Sharon Van Horn and they were married in September of 1980. They lived in Seattle until 2020 with the exception of a five year stint in Connecticut. While in Connecticut, Rick worked for Sikorsky Aircraft. He and Sharon renovated the 200 year old home of her grandparents in their spare time. They returned to Seattle in 1988 just a few months before the birth of their daughter, Alicia Constance.
While at Boeing, he worked on the 757,767, 777, Joint Strike Fighter, and 787 airplane programs. He became a guru within the company on Health Maintenance Systems rising to the rank of Associate Technical Fellow. At Boeing his intelligence, diligence, and a passion for passing on his knowledge were highly respected.
Hiking, biking, cross country skiing, white water rafting, and kayaking filled his spare time. Many of these activities were also family pursuits. His life revolved around family life, and that expanded to add 9 exchange students over the years. Traveling became a larger part of his life, including trips to visit exchange students in Denmark, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Canada, and Kazakhstan.He also was a dedicated tutor for foster students through the Tree House organization for many years.
In 2020 Rick and Sharon sold their home of 30 years in the Mt Baker neighborhood of Seattle and bought a condo in Seattle and a home on the bluff in Port Angeles.
He was an active member of both University Lutheran Church in Seattle and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Port Angeles. He was a proud cheerleader of the Ailanga Junior Lutheran Seminary in Usa River, Tanzania and tirelessly worked to raise money and organize trips through the Ailanga School Project. Rick and Sharon visited the school twice.
He is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Sharon, his daughter Alicia (Frank) Barevich, and brothers Bill Reuter and Brad (Carol) Reuter. He is also fondly remembered by many nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church 301 E Lopez, Port Angeles, WA 98362
University Lutheran Church 1604 NE 50th St. Seattle, WA 98105
Ailanga School Project ℅ Faith Lutheran Church, 8298 18th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Tree House 2100 24th Ave S #200, Seattle, WA 98144