Sumner Richman Obituary (1929 - 2023)

Sumner “Sub” Richman died peacefully on July 25, 2023 at the age of 93. Sub was born in 1929 in Hull, Massachusetts, the youngest child of Abraham and Ethel (Kramer). His childhood was spent on Edgewater Road in Nantasket Beach, where he had legendary adventures and grew to love the ocean. There, he met his love, Joyce Clements. They were married for 66 years. Sub graduated from Hartwick College and gained his Doctorate from UMichigan, then embarked on a remarkable career in aquatic biology based at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI, but including stints at research centers in La Jolla, CA; Woods Hole, MA; Solomons, MD; and Tel Aviv University, to name a few. His research led to groundbreaking advances in limnology, specifically plankton ecology. He taught for 38 years, mentoring hundreds of students, many of whom embarked on careers in biology and oceanography. He was active in the Lawrence community, loved and admired by his students and faculty colleagues. After retirement, he continued to mentor young people for decades as a volunteer at the Science Museum of Minnesota. He championed liberal arts education, traveled the world, and was a patron of the arts. He loved camping, sailing, and bringing his family to national parks all across the country. He and Joyce moved to Roseville, MN in 1997 to be close to their grandchildren to whom they were devoted, faithfully supporting their education and extracurricular endeavors. Sub embraced both science and spirituality. He joined the Shir Tikvah Jewish Community where he served as President and became a Bar Mitzvah at the age of 72. Sumner is preceded in death by his wife, Joyce; parents; and siblings, Millicent Richman Welles, Dorothy Kupferman, Shirley Gash, and Norman Richman. He is survived and dearly loved by children Nancy, Robert (Andrea Wood), and Freya (Karen Casanova); cherished grandchildren, Noah, Emma, and Samuel; and many nieces and nephews. Memorial service 10:30AM WEDNESDAY, August 9 at SHIR TIKVAH SYNAGOGUE, 1360 W. Minnehaha Pkwy., Minneapolis. Memorial service is available online at: www.hodroffs.com/SumnerRichman Shiva 7PM WEDNESDAY, August 9 at 2711 Ottawa Ave S., Minneapolis. Memorial donations preferred to Shir Tikvah Synagogue.