Richard Christin, Sr.

Richard Sr. Passed away peacefully during prayer in the afternoon of September 30th 2020 at age 83. He is the only son of immigrant parents Marcel Christin (Swiss) and Hildegard Christin (nee Reischmann)(German).

He grew up in Parkchester in New York City.  He attended McBurney Prep school along with Ted Koppel who was a partner on his fencing team.  During his teenage years he suffered from asthma and he and his parents wintered in Florida, and summered in Whitefield New Hampshire.  While in Whitefield he  had his first job at Mountain View Grand Resort as a golf caddy.
Around age 16 he recieved his Amateur Radio License built his own radio and with his father slingshot a wire antenna over to the next apartment building to open up his world. His father passed on the Swiss tradition of learning how to shoot and the skills he learned earned him a reputation as a marksman in shooting clubs and later in the Navy.
At age 17 he joined the US Navy on the “Kiddie Cruise” and upon graduation from high school he was sent to Great Lakes for training in electronics.  Because of his amateur license he was able to forego basic training.  He was assigned to Gun Fire Control on the Destroyer DD850 Joseph P. Kennedy.  Sailed around the world even above the artic circle chasing Russian ships and subs.

After his navy service ended, he worked in the NY ship yards installing and servicing radars on ships.  Both he and his father would commute from Parkchester dropping his father off at Wall Street before heading for the shipyards.
In June of 1961 he married Muriel Joan Bosshardt and in 1963 had a son Richard A. Christin Jr.
A few years later he moved his family from Parkchester out to Smithtown Long Island where he began his career in the Aerospace industry working on the Apollo missions, and various missile programs.
With the collapse of the Aerospace industry in 1973 he moved his family down to Frederick Maryland.  Eventually working at the Washington/Moscow Hotline at Fort Detrick.
While at Fort Detrick he attended the base chapel and felt the call to the ministry.  While working full-time he attended Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary, Mount St. Marys College, and a summer seession at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. After Seminary he recieved a three point charge in Bolivar, Millville, and Shenandoah United Methodist churches in West Virginia. As well as serving as a chaplian at the Wilson Healthcare Center at Asbury United Methodist Village in Gaithersburg Md.
After his time in the ministry, and his divorce, he worked as a Rail Engineer for WMATA in Washington DC.  for ten years frequently commuting with his son to work.  He became involved again in shooting competitions and attended the 1988 NRA national competition with his son. Before retirement he held a number of jobs with various rail engineering , and lab certification company A2LA.

In retirement he enjoyed his time with his partner Renate I Winter.  In 2010 he had a stroke which he took in stride not letting it deter him even when Renate passed just three months later.  Through rehab he was able to regain his ability to live unassisted. In 2011 he moved to Asbury Village and lived there till 2017.  Moving back to Frederick to live with his son.  He spent his last years enjoying Amateur radio, hamfest, cooking, traveling and spending time with his son and grandson Nikolai Christin.
Visitation and Memorial Service will be at Stauffer Funeral home in Frederick Maryland on October 13th 2020.  Burial will be at a future date at the Veterans Cemetery located in Rocky Gap Maryland.

Donations can be made for the upkeep of his ship and all the ships in Battleship Cove to the address below:
Battleship Cove, 5 Water St, Fall River, MA 02721 .  Please make checks out to USS Massachusetts Memorial Committee, Inc.