Richrd Paul Riegert

Richard Paul Riegert
1927 - 2012

Richard Paul Riegert was born on July 24, 1927 to Raymond and Margaret Riegert in New Milford, NJ and passed away on March 3, 2012. He is preceded in death by his brothers, Raymond, Arthur, and sister Marjorie Riegert Koch. 

Richard's younger days were spent in New Milford until his family moved to Westchester County, New York, right across the George Washington Bridge. There he spent his youth playing football, baseball, and ice hockey during his school years through high school. He was in the US Navy on the USS General H. W. Butner during WWII and served in China during the war. 

After returning home from the war, he began his higher education at Alfred University where he attended under graduate and subsequently graduate school. After attaining his graduate degrees with virtually straight A's, he headed to California for his job in the microelectronics industry. But he quickly discovered that he must create his own company and design his own products. 

He founded Sloan Technology in Santa Barbara, CA where he developed various test equipment, some of which exist to this day. His forte' was inventing, creating, developing, and being able to take products to market. He was fiercely independent and extraordinarily curious in science, the arts, earth, and the sea, along with the human spirit; he simply marveled at all creation. He was a dynamic person who loved people, who was very enthusiastic about life and living. 

In 1972 he founded Quad Group, Inc. In 1977 and 1981 he won an I-R 100 award which are the 100 top most significant new technical products of the year, which are awarded by Research and Development Magazine. He did research for large companies on an independent basis over most of his career. 

Around the 1980's he developed a line of products primarily related to coating adherence, adhesion and material characterization testers which are still in production today. 

In 1988 he moved Quad Group to Spokane, WA in the great NW, of which he learned all the history, geology, geography, and culture. He just loved life. He read voraciously and he loved to write poetry. Throughout his career his business pursuits took him to various places around the world, where he loved to seek out new cultures, customs, and people of different backgrounds. He was wildly open-minded, at times quite difficult, but loved with great gusto. 

He loved exploring all the rivers and lakes in Washington and Idaho. This New Yorker loved the Northwest. 

Richard is survived by his adoring wife Maria Riegert, and sons Romulus Riegert, Sebastian Riegert, and his daughter Alexandra Riegert Diouri, and three grandsons. 

My dearest husband, I will miss you forever. 

Graveside services will be held at Greenlawn Cemetery, River Blvd. on Friday March 9th at 3:00 P.M. 

Published in Bakersfield Californian on March 8, 2012