Richard Madden Konover

  Richard Madden Konover, beloved husband and friend, passed peacefully from this life to the next on Friday, August 8, 2025, following a long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. His intellect, energy, courage, and good humor endeared him to a devoted circle of family, friends and caregivers, and he will be missed.

  A son of Carl Madden and Mary Emma Konover (née Joynson), who preceded him in death, Richard grew up primarily in Trenton, New Jersey, spending summers at the Jersey Shore. He was a 1962 graduate of Ewing High School, where he started the school’s weightlifting program-- mostly so he could bulk up enough to make the football team. Although football fell by the wayside, Richard’s love of weightlifting never ended. He set a new state record in the 165-pound class in college and was still winning trophies well into his 60s. Richard earned a B.A. in Geology from Lafayette College, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and participated in Army ROTC. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves.

  In the tradition of military service established by his father, a World War II Marine who saw action in the Pacific theatre—including the Battle of Iwo Jima, where he participated in the storming of Mount Suribachi—Richard went on to complete two tours of duty in Vietnam, attaining the rank of captain and receiving honors including the Bronze Star and the Air Medal with first through fourteenth oak leaf clusters. He was particularly proud of his service as a pilot providing reconnaissance and forward air control from a Cessna O-1 Bird Dog. Upon his return, Richard worked briefly for his father’s Chevrolet dealership in Princeton before heading to Florida to seek sunshine, warmer weather, and the “boater’s paradise” that eventually provided a tagline for his highly successful real estate business, Coldwell Banker Morris Realty of Punta Gorda. Prior to that, he worked as a charter pilot and director of disaster preparedness for Charlotte County. But as a lifelong sailor, he found his professional niche marketing waterfront living to other boating enthusiasts. He was proud of the award-winning team he built at CBMR, and enjoyed penning his own advertising copy. Richard was also active in civic endeavors, including serving as president of the Charlotte County Economic Development Council, but he spent every free moment on the water with his beloved miniature Schnauzer, Lady, by his side. His great passion project was a years-long effort to develop a commercially successful inverted vee powerboat based on the Hickman Sea Sled. Although the venture was shuttered short of completion, he remained fascinated by the inverted vee hull form and was quick to share stories and pictures of his prototypes, the Air Ride 188 and Air Flite 270, with anyone who showed an interest. After retiring to St. Augustine, Richard continued to enjoy the Florida lifestyle, taking advantage of the city’s rich history, restaurants, and live music. He rescued his first cat, Mr. T, who ruled his routine for more than a decade. He met and married his wife, Susan. And he enjoyed regaling friends and strangers alike with his extensive knowledge on a wide variety of interests: planes, trains, automobiles, boats (sail and power), dinosaurs, military history, weightlifting, holistic health, penny stocks, aliens, and more. Most of all, he maintained a lively sense of curiosity and enthusiasm which kept him young, even in recent years.

  Richard is survived by his wife, Susan Pelter, of St. Augustine; mother-in-law Shirley Pelter, of Anderson, SC, and sister-in-law Barbara Pelter Rhodes (Marcus) of North Myrtle Beach, SC; friend and former wife Patricia Konover (Per Hans Romnes), of St. Augustine; and a stellar network of friends and caregivers, including extended family members Tara Spurlock, Anabel Morales and Christie Hobbs (David), all of St. Augustine; along with the loving staff at Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home, for whom he was profoundly grateful. Enduring relationships with friends from his youth and his Florida years—among them Pete Benedict, Thomas Crawford, Scott Holcombe, Mele Orendorf and Tim Towles-- enriched his life to the end.

  Arrangements for a service are pending. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home, 4650 State Road 16, St. Augustine, FL 32092, or to the Michael J. Fox Foundation (earmarked for research, please) at https://www.michaeljfox.org