Obituary for Harold Riechers

Harold Duane Riechers

February 15, 1936 – April 4, 2024

Harold Duane Riechers passed peacefully on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at age 88, surrounded by his family at Eden Care of Edmond, OK. Viewing will be between 10:00 a.m and 12:00 p.m., Friday, April, 26, 2024, at Trout Funeral Home. A graveside service will be held at Resthaven Memorial Park, 1901 E. Hubbard Rd., Ponca City, OK 74604 on Friday, April 19, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. A celebration of Harold’s life will be held right after the graveside service at The Harvest Hall, 201 N. Second St, Ponca City, OK 74601.

Harold Duane Riechers was born on February 15, 1936, in Clay Center, KS. He was the son of Charles and Ruth Riechers. The family lived on a farm east of Clay Center. During his high school years, he was active in sports and lettered two years each in football, basketball, and track. Harold was selected on the Topeka Daily Capital All-State Football team in 1953, at a tackle position. He was elected to the National Honor Society as a junior and was Salutatorian of the CCCHS class of 1954. He was a member of various high school organizations, including National Honor Society, Future Farmers of America, “C” Club, and Hi-Y. He was elected President of Hi-Y his senior year. During the 1950s, Harold played softball on the Clay County Highland Team in the summer months. He also played basketball, during his college years, with the Highland Town Team.

Harold attended Kansas State University (KSU) on a football scholarship and lettered as a tackle in 1957. A knee injury in 1958, ended his football career. He majored in Chemical Engineering and graduated from KSU in May 1959, with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering. While at KSU, he was a member of several student organizations, including Sigma Tau (Honorary Engineering Fraternity), Phi Lambda Upsilon (Honorary Chemistry Fraternity), Student Chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and “K” Club. He served as Vice-President of AlChE his senior year.

On August 3, 1957, he married Winifred “Ruth” McConnell at the First Methodist Church in Clay Center. They lived in Manhattan, Kansas, while both attending KSU (August 1957 through May 1959). After Harold graduated from KSU, the family moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where Harold began his career as a chemical engineer, working for FMC Corporation at their Lawrence, Kansas Phosphate Plant. While working full time as an engineer for FMC, Harold went to graduate school at the University of Kansas, attending classes on Saturdays and evenings. He graduated from the University of Kansas in June 1966, with an MS degree in Chemical Engineering.

In January 1967, Harold resigned from FMC after about 8 years of service and accepted a position with Conoco Inc. as a Process Engineer in Ponca City, OK.

On July 8, 1970, Ruth passed away after a long struggle with cancer. Harold then became both a mother and father to their three children, Patti, Paul, and Jenifer, who were, respectively, 12, 7, and 3 years old, at the time. During the following years, Harold kept very busy with his children’s activities and his engineering work at Conoco. Almost every summer, the family went on vacation trips to various locations including Snow Mountain Ranch in Colorado, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, and the Black Hills of South Dakota. In the summer of 1974, Harold, his children and his parents traveled to Los Angeles, CA, to sightsee and visit relatives. In the summer of 1983, Harold and his children traveled to Europe. While in Europe they visited the countries of England, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Austria. They spent several days in Steinheim, Germany, visiting their German cousins. Steinheim was the birthplace of Harold’s grandmother Riechers.

In 1984, after more than fourteen years as a single parent, Harold began a new phase of his life. On September 22, 1984, he married Donna Kirtley. Harold and Donna added to their family in 1990, when they adopted Amanda, who was born in March 1985.

On March 1, 1993, Harold retired from Conoco, after more than 26 years of service. At the time of his retirement from Conoco, he held the position of Technical Assistant to the Manager of Process Engineering. Harold then returned to work in August 1993 as Chief Process Engineer for EDECO in Tulsa, OK. He and Donna purchased a home in Owasso, OK. He worked for two engineering-contractor companies; first, EDECO, and later, Pro-Quip. He retired from Pro-Quip in July 1995. Following his second retirement, Harold pursued various interests and did engineering consulting work. Since childhood, Harold enjoyed reading and had many interests. His interests included sports, agriculture, traveling, computers, and genealogy. After living in Owasso for about a year and a half, the family moved to Oklahoma City in September 2000. He continued his many interests and in addition worked as a docent at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum for several years. He kept busy following and attending his grandchildren’s sports and various activities.

Harold was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers since 1965 and was recognized in 2015 for being a member of good standing for fifty years. In 1984, he was certified as a Professional Engineer in Oklahoma.

He was baptized as an infant in the Republican City Reformed Presbyterian Church near Clay Center, KS. He was an active member of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Christian churches during his lifetime. In Ponca City, he was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, where he served as a Deacon, Trustee, and Elder.

He was preceded in death by: his first wife, Winifred (Ruth), and parents Charles and Naomi (Ruth) Riechers. He is survived by: his wife, Donna Riechers of Edmond, OK; his children, Patti Riechers of Oklahoma City, OK, Paul Riechers (Tina) of Mansfield, TX, Jenifer Schieber (Toby) of Newkirk, OK, Amanda Riechers of Plano, TX; sister, Charlene Still (Jon) of Germantown, TN; grandchildren, Megan Sublett (Josh), Jared Schieber (Derion), Katelyn Schieber, Matthew Riechers, and Natalie Riechers; great-grandchildren, Ava Schieber and Luke Schieber; nephew, Eric Still (Terri) of Germantown, TN, and niece, Melissa Still of Germantown, TN.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Apex Hospice, 8241 S. Walker, Suite 152, Oklahoma City, OK 73139.

Source: Trout Funeral Home