ForeverMissed
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This memorial website was created in memory of our loved one, Richard Thoricht, 85, born on January 16, 1928 and passed away peacefully on December 23, 2013 after battling Lewy Body Disease for the past two years.  He is in a much better place now and with our mother Barbara.  We will miss him dearly and love him immensely. Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and support.  God bless Richard. 

Richard donated his brain to the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank to aid in the research of dementia diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Lewy Body Disease (LBD). In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations in his name be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association (www.lbda.org). Lewy Body is one of the lesser-known dementias and further research on this disease is greatly needed.   For further information on donation mailing address or to make an online donation to LBDA, please go to: www.lbda.org/go/donate

Services for Richard Thoricht will be held on to be determined dates in 2014.  More details will be provided, as they are determined.  His ashes will be scattered with his wife Barbara's in the Gulf of Mexico and also buried next to her in Somerset, PA.  Some ashes will also be scattered on Catalina Island, CA.  

Born January 16, 1928 in Lodz Poland son of Otto and Anna (Generowicz) Thoricht. Preceded in death by parents, sister Eugenia (Thoricht) Schroder and loving wife Barbara (Emert) Thoricht whom he had been married to for 47 years.  Survived by his children Adrian Thoricht and wife Lourdes of Catalina Island CA, Heidi Thoricht-Miller and husband Michael of Dunedin FL; Karen Lentz of Gettysburg PA; son Michael Thoricht of Belleview FL; grandchildren Adam Thoricht and wife Casey, Jazmine Thoricht, Derek Lentz; step-grandchildren Meghan Miller, Melissa Moran and husband Brian; great-grandchild Brynn Thoricht; and step-great-grandchildren Kylie Clamon and Jackson Moran.

Richard came to the United States in 1957 as part of the Truman Displaced Persons Act, which helped to resettle thousands of Europeans displaced from their homes by World War II.  During the ages of 16-19, Richard was taken away from Poland and his mother to be shipped off to Russia (now Ukraine) where he spent his youth in civilian labor camps.  Upon arriving to the states, he was sponsored by the Geiger Church of the Brethren in Somerset PA where he later met his wife Barbara. 

After marrying, Richard and Barbara moved to Greencastle, PA where he worked at Mack Truck, Inc in Hagerstown, MD for 28 years before retiring in 1990.  In early 1990, he and his wife retired to Belleview, FL where he lived until moving into various retirement facilities in Palm Harbor FL in 2011. 

Richard was active in many sports.  Some of his favorite sports included bowling, ice hockey, golf, swimming and soccer.  He was on a bowling league in Waynesboro, PA for many years.  He had won numerous bowling trophies.   He enjoyed watching any kind of sports on TV.  His other favorite activity was playing cards.  He was always up for a game of cards and was still a sharp card player at the time of his passing.

 

January 16, 2014
January 16, 2014
Lighting a candle today to honor dad on his birthday. Dad you are greatly missed. Love you  Karen
January 16, 2014
January 16, 2014
Missing you today on what would have been your 86th birthday. Love and miss you Dad.
January 6, 2014
January 6, 2014
Karen, this is a wonderful memorial for your dad. He was quite an interesting man. He was blessed to have you as a daughter. You have my deepest sympathy and prayers for comfort and peace at this time. Stacy
January 2, 2014
January 2, 2014
Karen, Derek and Family,
My love and prayers are with you all. Your Dad will always be in your heart and your memories. Wishing you God's love and comfort now and always.
December 30, 2013
December 30, 2013
Karen...my thoughts and prayers go out to you and your son and your entire family on your loss. Remember the good times. God Bless.
December 30, 2013
December 30, 2013
Karen, I wish I could be there for you. I know your father is finally happy to be reunited with your mother. They will always guide you and Derek. Stay strong.
December 28, 2013
December 28, 2013
Ahhhh Richard, I am so going to miss hearing your accent and voice. When you first started dating my sister, I remember I was somewhat scared and intimidated by it. As I got older I became very curious about it and even wanted to learn another language and not just the Spanish we had in school, because of you.  Then as I grew older I became to love to hear it and especially when you laughed. I am very grateful you were a part of my life and you allowed me to be part of yours. I will miss hearing "Well 'sanks' for calling Patti. Now enjoy time with friends and family, Love Ya, Pat
December 26, 2013
December 26, 2013
Thoughts and prayers to each of you in the loss of your father and grandfather. Your memories will last a lifetime.
December 26, 2013
December 26, 2013
What a pleasure it was for me, a stranger, to get to know, interview and write the Memoir, "A Displaced Person", of a very unique man.

A man who loved his wife and family immensely; a man whose work ethic I most admired; a selfless man. Richard Thoricht you have left huge footprints, your life experiences will forever contribute to the generations who follow. God Bless you as you proudly watch over your loving family ~ Samantha Elphick
December 24, 2013
December 24, 2013
Dad I will miss you very much. I know you are at peace and with mom now. Derek will miss you and loves you. We know you will watch over us for years to come. Love you  Karen
December 24, 2013
December 24, 2013
Missing you today, and always. May you watch over us with Aunt Barbara. Lots of love! -Ashley

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Recent Tributes
January 16, 2014
January 16, 2014
Lighting a candle today to honor dad on his birthday. Dad you are greatly missed. Love you  Karen
January 16, 2014
January 16, 2014
Missing you today on what would have been your 86th birthday. Love and miss you Dad.
January 6, 2014
January 6, 2014
Karen, this is a wonderful memorial for your dad. He was quite an interesting man. He was blessed to have you as a daughter. You have my deepest sympathy and prayers for comfort and peace at this time. Stacy
Recent stories

Reunion with sister Jenny in Germany

December 24, 2013

On a lazy summer day, at the Washington International Airport, dad and I anxiously boarded the airplane that would take us to Germany, but unfortunately unbeknown to us, we were about to begin a miserable four hours of confinement on a huge jumbo jet that wouldn’t be taking off because of air conditioning problems. No one is allowed to get off the plane! The pilot announced. We were told that if we didn’t leave by 9 p.m. that night, we wouldn’t be leaving until the next morning. Thankfully, at some godforsaken hour, we finally lifted off with the air conditioning finally cooling our impatient spirits. 

During the flight we experienced a lot of turbulence and everyone had to sit down. Low and behold, I was suddenly about to experience one of dad’s obsessions, it was a riot! The stewardess had asked him to hold her liquor cart during the emergency. Well, dad gladly obliged, he was more than happy to help; he saw his chance, and right before my eyes he began taking numerous, tiny liquor bottles right out of the cart. I couldn’t believe it, but knowing the stories of his past, I was touched by his obsession to take or steal, that having been ingrained in him from his days in the labor camps. We didn’t drink the little bottles on the plane; we saved them for later, consuming the liquor while enjoying the story of my dad’s natural impulses.

After we arrived in Frankfurt, a day later, I immediately went to call Jenny; she needed to know that we wouldn’t be getting to Dresden at the pre-arranged time. Hearing my voice she became instantly excited expecting us to have arrived—they were going to meet us at the airport. I was tired, exhausted, and a little overwhelmed. I couldn’t speak German but somehow managed to get the message across to her. At the Frankfurt terminal, we immediately re-arrange our flight to Dresden. Happily seated next to my dad, as our flight to Dresden embarked, I thought of my mom. This trip was bitter sweet for us both. Dad’s sister, Jenny, was about to celebrate her seventy-firth birthday, and my mom, who suffered with knee problems, hadn’t been able to travel with dad. I enthusiastically took her place. The flight went smoothly and although we were late, there was Jenny, with her son Juergen and his wife, waiting our arrival holding a bottle of champagne to celebrate. 

My dad finally got to see his sister after forty-four years! It was very emotional for us, we were all so very happy—we hugged, laughed and cried. Over the days that followed we shared memories catching up on life during the many lost years. Jenny (Eugenia Thoricht/Schroder) is my dad’s sister, and Juergen Schroder is her son. Jenny didn’t speak any English, Juergen could speak broken English and I was able to communicate a little with him.  We also got to meet Juergen’s family, which included his wife Renate and their two sons, Andree and Tino.  On our trip, another treat was the food; we got to eat good German food, which was wonderful. I loved the experience of being able to buy fresh herring sandwiches from vendors right on the street.

We would hang out with Jenny, Juergen and his family, enjoying cookouts and talking about everything and everyone, we had so much fun. One thing that I found strange was that their dinners would always start with desert and champagne, I soon got used to that.  We would drink beer, play games, match up with ping-pong games, and travel the town sightseeing, enjoying the stores and museums. Even after almost fifty years, buildings in Dresden were still in the process of being resurrected from the war bombings.

My dad and I left Jenny and Juergen for two days and took the train from Dresden, to Stuttgart, and then onto Backnang. Dad wanted to go back to the town where he lived before he took the boat to the United States—we traveled from East Germany to West Germany. Dad was anxious to see if he could find anyone he knew when he had lived there. But, after arriving in Backnang, he found that the town no longer looked the same, it had all changed and been modernized, but he still insisted on finding where he used to play cards. It was a place called the “Rathaus”, and to his dismay nothing of city was recognizable. But for me, on the other hand, I liked being in West Germany most people spoke English, and I was able to communicate in a foreign country. In East Germany, if I wandered out to the store, I had to rely on my instincts to get back home—not being able to speak German prevented me from asking directions.

When dad walked around the town remembering his past, it made him very depressed—he suddenly became unhappy and sad. He wanted to get back on the train and go home, but I quickly talked him out of it, convincing him that we should stay in a hotel overnight, which we did.

The next morning, I got to experience another funny incident of my dad taking things. When we went down to breakfast, the hotel offered a magnificent buffet. There were a variety of breads, assorted meats and every kind of cheese imaginable spread out on a long table for guests to help themselves. Immediately, and to my horror, my dad started taking/stealing the food. Standing next to me and right before my eyes, he would wrap different bread, meat and cheese in napkins, and then stuff them in his pockets. I couldn’t help but to smile—another moment to fold away. During the long train ride back to Dresden my dad pulled out the stolen food he had stuffed in his pockets, and together we shared a very special feast. I really enjoyed the liverwurst sandwich, and to this very day I still remember how good that sandwich tasted!

Our trip soon came to a close and we said our goodbyes, our hearts were filled with lots of memories of a wonderful trip, and a happy family reunion.  On the flight back, once we got to Frankfurt, I was again faced with more drama—not being able to speak German, and knowing that the shuttle to the terminal was twenty minutes late, I couldn’t get anyone to help me. We needed to hurry, I didn't want to spend six hours stuck in the Frankfort airport, or worse yet, overnight. I decided that we would do it on foot—I needed my dad to run! He did, and I remember fearing that it might give him a heart attack. We finally made it to the gate, but they had closed the plane door and would not let us board. I was in a flap, but not dad, when I turned around there he was calmly sitting with a circle of Russian’s telling them all about his life in their country, they were discussing different machines that were made in Russia. I was dumbfounded, there was my dad, fifty years later, sitting with a group of Russian men, not feeling any animosity after all they had done to him. I smiled knowing that it’s time that makes all this possible.

We didn't know it, but there had been another flight scheduled to the States. We finally got on that plane an hour later. We arrived safely in Washington, DC. But dad still had another flight to get him home to Florida. I organized everything and left him there, but no sooner had I arrived home, I got a call. Dad had missed his plane. Well, my wonderful, sometimes forgetful, dad ended up spending the night with me while his luggage was happily on its way to Florida.

*Written by Samantha Elphick as told to her by Heidi Thoricht  

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