Richard Gordon Schreitz

Richard Gordon Schreitz was born in Baltimore on September 15, 1938. He died on June 30, 2025, of an apparent heart attack while walking a familiar path in the woods. He spent his youth in Linstead on the Severn, a small community in Severna Park, Maryland. At 13 he built his own radio transmitter and became a ham radio operator. His homemade rig put him in touch with folks around the world, giving him a rare sense of connection for a teenager. Two years later, he volunteered at the local radio club station to relay distress messages to relief agencies during the 1954 catastrophic munition plant explosion in Chestertown, Maryland where the entire town’s telephone system was crippled.

Destined to become an electrical engineer, upon graduation from Annapolis High School, he enrolled in University of Maryland. Just months before graduation, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and spent the majority of his 4-year service in Bangor, Maine servicing the electrical systems of jet fighters. After his stint in the Air Force, he completed his mathematics degree while working with NOAA.

As a conscientious citizen, Richard spent more than 40 years in the government as a physical scientist with NOAA, developing and servicing the programs that track clouds. He spent more than half his life as a member of the Presbyterian Church. In 2006 he joined the Westmoreland Congregational Church of Jesus Christ because the Middle East Committee Meeting there reflected his concern for the plight of the Palestinians. In addition to being a devoted member of that committee, he generously applied his electrical skills, love for music, and commitment to service, both improving and assisting with the sanctuary’s sound system.

Richard is survived by his sister, Ann S Rohlfing and his brother, William B Schreitz.

A memorial service will be held on August 23, 2025, at the Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Jesus Christ on 1 Westmoreland Circle NW, Bethesda, Maryland at 10:00 am.