Joseph Edward Richter of Knife River, MN born September 12, 1948 to Joseph Francis Richter and Evelyn Ella (Wolfgram) Richter in Wausau, WI went to be with Jesus on June 12, 2026.
Joseph Edward Richter passed into the presence of his Lord and Savior after a life marked by being a man of the word of God, service for Him, joy, perseverance, love, and unwavering faith. He leaves behind an enduring legacy and powerful Christian testimony.
Joe was a man who believed life in Christ is directed by God's hand.
He grew up on the edge of Wausau, Wisconsin, on the wrong side of the tracks. His early years were marked by poverty, but because of his devoted family, there was always hot bread in the oven and a home-cooked meal when he arrived back from playing outdoors, often on the banks of the Wisconsin River, unsupervised, from sun-up to sun-down. Joe lived in a full home with his grandparents, parents, and six siblings. He never realized he was poor. He just didn't have the things other kids did. Joe always took along a little journal that he used to record the first hatch of dragonflies, which day the bluebirds began laying their eggs, what the fish were feeding on, and even where the fish species moved to on the river based on the weather.
One moment he revisited often was when he was only a young boy, around eight years old, he would ride his bike to some of his favorite wildlife areas, and along the way, he would pass by a church that had a sign out front. The sign read "You Must Be Born Again!" Because he didn't have understanding, he would cry and hope that one day he would be good enough to be born again.
Because of this defining moment where he was crushed by the impossible, misplaced, burden of earning salvation he devoted many of his later years to share the story of God's free gift by faith alone in his book titled "A Man After God's Own Heart". One lesson appeared again and again in those letters: a calling from God is not merely a destination; it is the journey itself. Joe believed that every season of life—whether in a laboratory, a classroom, a village, owning a bed and breakfast, or a family home—offered opportunities to serve God and love people.
One summer evening in 1965, a reluctant decision to attend a wedding dance changed everything. His friends surprised him with his first date! There, he met Pat, the young woman who would become his wife, partner in ministry, best friend, the great love of his life, and in the end years, his faithful caretaker. They danced the polka, the fox trot, and the waltz that first evening together, scarcely taking a single break. Joe knew that she was the perfect fit because she could keep up with him. Together, they would share a remarkable journey spanning decades of marriage, raising a family, scientific research, international service, missionary work, church planting, hardship, and joy.
As a young man, Joe pursued his passion for science and the natural world. His graduate research on the ecology of northern Minnesota lakes led to a career opportunity with the Environmental Protection Agency's Freshwater Research Laboratory in Duluth. There he joined a distinguished team of scientists conducting environmental research on the Great Lakes and freshwater ecosystems. His master's thesis was conducted on Shagawa Lake near Ely, MN.
Joe loved science. He loved discovery. He loved fishing. He loved hunting. He loved understanding how God's creation worked.
Yet he never viewed science and faith as opposing forces. To Joe, scientific inquiry only deepened his sense of wonder about the Creator.
While many might have chosen to keep their faith private in such an environment, Joe did the opposite. He openly shared his beliefs with coworkers, answered questions about Christianity, and eventually established lunchtime Bible studies among researchers and scientists. Those gatherings often met along the shores of Lake Superior.
His colleagues knew him as a gifted scientist. They also knew him as a man of conviction.
One of Joe's favorite EPA Lab stories involved a surprising intercom announcement at the laboratory: "Joe Richter, please come to the front desk. Jesus is here."
The resulting encounter with an eccentric, long haired, barefoot, traveler claiming divine authority, who ran out of gas near the lab, became one of many humorous stories Joe shared in his book to illustrate God's sense of humor.
Yet alongside those lighter moments were profound examples of compassion. When administrators became concerned about a troubled scientist struggling emotionally and mentally to the point of being clearly out of his mind, they turned to Joe for help.
Over lunch, Joe simply told the man, "I love you, and Jesus loves you." Those words opened the door to healing, friendship, and ultimately saving faith. Joe never claimed credit for what happened. He always pointed to the grace of God. He didn't give up on anyone, even those others had given up on.
Years before his missionary service began, Joe and Pat sensed a call from God to return to the Philippines and serve among the Igorot tribes of the northern mountains. They assumed the call would be immediate.
Instead, they waited ten years.
Looking back, Joe realized those years were not a delay but part of God's preparation. During that decade, he continued faithfully serving where God had placed him— At a tiny Lutheran church in Knife River, Minnesota. There, Joe and Pat faithfully led the youth, preached, and discipled.
Then, in 1983, after years of prayer, the call became clear.
Leaving behind a promising scientific career was not easy. Joe had recently been selected as a principal scientist on a 1.5 million dollar research project and had opportunities that many scientists spend their lives pursuing. Yet he believed God was leading him elsewhere.
With characteristic honesty, Joe later admitted that crippling fear of man nearly prevented him from taking that step. Even though he was an outspoken Christian, he worried what colleagues might think. He delayed submitting his resignation. The stress became so intense that he developed severe chest pain.
Only after finally handing in his resignation did the pain miraculously disappear.
The lesson remained with him for the rest of his life: fear of people can be powerful, but obedience brings peace.
To his surprise, his fellow scientists responded with admiration and encouragement. Some even contributed financially to support the mission work that lay ahead. Before leaving, Joe was invited to share with the whole laboratory his plans for mission service. After explaining fish farming and agricultural development in the Philippines, he concluded with what mattered most:
Improving lives was important, he said, but his greatest purpose was to share the love of God and the message of Jesus Christ. Without this; the rest is meaningless.
That commitment defined the remainder of his life.
Before mission service and working at the lab, Joe and Pat had first traveled to the Philippines as Peace Corps volunteers in the early 1970s. There, they worked in livelihood development, helping improve food production and economic opportunities in rural communities. During those years, they endured dangerous floods, life-threatening illness, political violence, severe culture shock, and significant hardship. When they first went, they didn't realize it, but they didn't love the people they were there to serve. They couldn't love them because they hadn't totally surrendered their lives to Jesus. Instead of experiencing the great high of scientific success and accomplishment of breeding Chinese Silver Carp, where it had never been done before, Joe fell into a deep depression.
He hated the poverty, the smell of urine, the lice, the pigpens attached to homes, the total lack of privacy, the snotty-nosed kids who always met them in the street to check what they had in their shopping bags, and the overwhelming filth in the village where they served.
Because of this great low, God was able to use the poorest family in the village and a bag of oranges to change their hearts. During Christmas of 1972, while living in the Philippines as Peace Corps volunteers, Joe and Pat totally surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. This is the firm foundation upon which everything else was built.
Years later they returned as missionaries to the cordillera mountains of northern Luzon.
Their first day in Sagada became one of the defining stories of Joe's life. Barely settled into their new home, they accepted an invitation to preach in the remote mountain village. What they encountered that evening challenged them deeply. Joe often recalled the fear, uncertainty, and spiritual opposition they experienced in those early days. What happened that night included praying in the name of Jesus to set people free that were possessed by evil spirits.
Yet what remained with him most was not fear but faith.
He wrote often about how prayer carried him and Pat through situations beyond their own strength and how God's peace eventually replaced the fear that once threatened to overwhelm them.
The mountains that initially seemed intimidating became home for the next eight years.
There, they devoted themselves to serving the Igorot tribes. Joe, full of the power and love of God, fully loved the people of the mountains and considered it one of the greatest privileges of his life to live among them.
During the years of missionary service, Jabbok Church was planted. The name means a place of total surrender. Because of biblical, systematic, discipleship of the leaders the church thrives today. In fact, many new churches have been planted by the children of those first faithful believers. God's work continues today. It is true that the word of God will never return void.
Joe and Pat returned stateside in 1991, where they were asked to lead FARMS International.
Joe served faithfully as Executive Director for 25 years. FARMS International has programs in many locations around the world. The mission empowers Christian's to overcome poverty using God's principles. It is a radical model that doesn't leave the recipients dependent on Western money. God cares for the poor, and so did Joe. He was in so many ways A Man After God's Own Heart.
When God called him to build Superior Gateway Lodge in Two Harbors, Minnesota, it followed suit that it would be used for ministry. Joe often joked that he never had a more captive audience to share Jesus with. God sent many people there, unknowing, so they would hear the truth of Jesus Christ, freedom from the bondage of sin, and Salvation by faith. It was another chapter of an amazing adventure in Jesus for Joe and Pat.
Throughout every chapter of his story, Joe remained a teacher.
Whether writing letters to family members, preaching in churches, teaching Bible studies, mentoring young believers, or simply sharing a meal with a friend, he sought to encourage others to take one step of faith and see where it leads. His writings reveal a man who understood both hardship and hope. He never pretended life was easy. Instead, he pointed repeatedly to God's faithfulness in the midst of difficulty.
He often reminded his family that courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is trusting God enough to take the next step.
Joe's life was filled with those steps.
He was a scientist who saw God's fingerprints in creation.
He was a missionary who crossed many oceans to serve people he loved.
He was a storyteller who carefully preserved God's truths in story form for future generations.
He was a husband whose devotion to Pat never wavered.
He was a father, grandfather, and great grandfather who desired above all that his family would know and follow Jesus.
Most importantly, he was a man who sought to walk faithfully wherever God led him.
His life stands as a testimony. The lessons he shared through his letters continue to guide those who loved him. His example continues to inspire. His influence continues to bear fruit.
Joe was preceded in death by parents Joseph and Evelyn Richter, brother Donald Richter, Sister Jean Socha, brothers Gary Richter, David Richter, and daughter Calebanne.
Joe is survived by his beloved family, who carry forward the values he cherished and the faith he lived. He is survived by his faithful wife, Patricia Richter; his sisters, Dianne Bartig and Susan Haebig; his son, Luke Richter, and granddaughters, Faith (Andrew) and Hannah; his daughter, Belene Mclaughin, grandson Caleb, great-granddaughters Kaelyn and McKenna, grandson Nolan (Abberly), great-granddaughters Zayva and Vera, and grandson Darren; his daughter, Reseth (Jonathan) Oberg, and grandchildren Aaron, Titus, and Evemarie; and his daughter, Leah (Ronald) Bailey, and grandchildren Cherith, Joe, and Annie Joy.
As we celebrate his life, we remember one of the truths he often shared:
"Take one step and then see what God has for the next step. Never be in fear, for God is with you and will guide your steps."
Joseph Edward Richter spent his life taking those steps.
And by God's grace, he finished his journey very well.
Please join us for the celebration of his life.
Monday July 13, 2026 6:00 PM service followed by fellowship and meal First Baptist Church Two Harbors, MN 55616
