Rich was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania July 12, 1943 to Edward and Josephine Stecher.  He sailed on the Persian Gulf, the Delaware River, the Chesapeake Bay and the Jersey shore.   Rich loved his boats and had a 31'  sailboat, the "Incentive" and also a 21' Seaswirl center console for  fishing and clamming which I loved.   He loved racing the "Incentive".  His dad worked for ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia when Rich was young.  When things started to get "scary" over there his dad sent him to Military school in Miami, FL.
    After he graduated high school, Rich joined the Coast Guard.  He was  stationed on Staten Island and on Long Island ,NY.  While stationed on Long Island he met his future wife Lillian.  After he his enlistment was up he & Lil married and had two girls, Beth and Aimee.
    Rich worked for Ma Bell on the Long Island and part time on a clam boat in the Long Island Sound to support his family.  While working he also went to college for a business degree.  He got a job as a general manager for a dried floral manufacturing company in Whitting, NJ around 1968.  He rented a room there until they bought a home in Bayville, NJ.
When the kids got older he and Lil bought a flower shop, the Red Barn Florist in Toms River , NJ which they had until Lil passed away suddenly  after almost 25 years together.  Rich hired a manager to run the shop.  
    Rich was member of the Beachwood/Berkeley Rotary club.  He served as President and was given a Paul Harris award.  This is where I first met Rich and Lil, I was a Rotarian also. Rich was very active with the club as  was I helping with fund raisers such as the "Tug of War" and pancake breakfast's.
    Rich and I just drifted together after Lil's death and have been side by side ever since .  I closed my pet grooming shop, Mary's Clip Joint , in Beachwood, NJ after 40 years.   Rich sent me to Cleveland, OH  for advanced floral design and I took over management of the shop.  We built a home on the Barnegat Bay in Lanoka Harbor , NJ  where we spent many happy years on his beloved water.
    We moved to Tarpon Springs, FL in 2004 to a retirement community.  We enjoyed sitting in the yard and on our lanai just watching the wildlife and sunsets.  We joined the Shuffle Board group and had a ball.  Rich was better at it than I was.  We both had 3 wheel bikes and loved to ride around and go down to the stream with our cooler and watch the fish and crabs.  We enjoyed being home also, just "vegging " out and watching TV.  Rich watched all the NASCAR race's and come football season, we'd be rooting for our Philly Eagles.  It was a nice simple life.  
    We loved when the grandkids, Terrence and Lillian came down and we all went to Disney, Sea World, Universal and in May of 2008 we went to Epcot.  We looked forward to taking them to the new Aquatica at Sea World and the Harry Potter that's opening at Universal this year.  Terrence was looking forward to getting on a plane alone and coming down to stay a week with us  next year and when Lillian was older she wanted to come down alone also.  I am so glad that Rich got to be with them that May at Epcot when Aimee, her husband and the kids came down. It would be the last time they saw their grandfather.
    In March of 2008 my son Eddie received a kidney transplant here in Tampa at Life Link after waiting 7 years and being on dialysis for 4 years.    Eddie called us from where he lived with his dad on Staten Island, NY at 3 am March 17th  telling us to pick him up at the airport.....
                                                                            THEY HAD A KIDNEY FOR HIM!!!      
    Ole Hillary may not know what to do when the phone rings at 3 am but we sure did!   We picked him up at 10:30 am in Tampa and took him to Tampa General Hospital where Eddie received an 18 year olds kidney at 3:30 March 18th.  Eddie was released after 5 days, came home with us to stay recuperating.  Rich drove him 3 times a week for a month, then 2 times a week, finally down to once a week.  
    The last time Rich drove Eddie to his Life Link appointment in Tampa  for his weekly blood work was June 19.  Eddie had 2 appointments on Friday the 27th  and  Rich had to go to the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa on the 26th for another Colonoscopy and possible exploratory surgery.  Rich was upset  because  he could not take Eddie to his appointment.  One of our dear neighbors, Merrilee, drove Eddie and I took Rich.  By now I had to put my Rich in a wheelchair to get him into and around the hospital .    And there at James A. Haley VA Hospital our life together ended.
                                       Sweetheart, I miss you as much today as I did 2 years ago.  The pain will never leave.

                                                        

Life Link Foundation, Tampa, FL
Tampa General Hospital
I would like to thank very much the anonymous family of the 18 year old that donated part of their child
so that my son will live.  Last summer Eddie traveled into Brooklyn, NY 3 days a week and took a course to be a Dialysis Technician and when he is released from Life Link he is going to start on his RN .  Eddie wants to specialize in Dialysis. 
Your family and your loved one will always be in our thoughts and prayers.                                                                                  
August 14, 2008

                              When Eddie went for his bi-weekly checkup yesterday it showed that he is in acute renal failure. 
                             He is at Tampa General where his team of doctors from Life Link are working to save his kidney.
            Please add Ed to your prayers.
        August 19, 2008  
                        Eddie was discharged on Monday.  Thankfully his rejection episode reversed its self and he's Ok now.
October 10, 2008
Ed has been released by Life Link to return home to New York.  He will still have to check in down here at Life Link in Tampa every 3 months for the 1st year, then every 6 months the following year and finally once a year for the rest of his life.
Once back north Ed will pursue his RN degree and settle here in Florida within the next couple
April  2, 2009
 Ed's appointments have been changed to every 4 months. His checkup went GREAT!

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