Richard German, a noted bike advocate, former bike shop owner, and a fixture in Portland’s bike scene for several decades passed away on Friday (6/25). According to friends, German suffered from an aortic aneurysm while bicycle camping in the San Juan islands. He was 63 years old.
Known as the “unofficial mayor” of Multnomah Village, German was a member of the City of Portland’s Bicycle Master Plan Steering Committee as a representative of Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. He had worked at Annie Bloom’s bookstore in Southwest Portland since it opened in 1978 and was also co-owner of Multnomah Bike Shop.
Richard’s friends at Annie Blooms have put up a memorial page about him. A wake is planned at O’Connors Restaurant (7850 SW Capitol Highway) at 6:00pm on July 5th – which would have been his 64th birthday.
Rest in peace Richard. I appreciate all the smiles and words of encouragement you gave me whenever we crossed paths.
Thanks for reading.
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Need to correct the age! This man will be greatly missed.
God bless. My condolences to his family and friends.
This is sad news indeed. I first met Richard in 1992, when I went to work at Annie Bloom’s while in law school. Through the years he has been a good friend, even though recently our paths have diverged more than they have converged. Richard made friends wherever he went, and his passion for life was contagious. The world has lost a gentle soul.
Oh man…our neighborhood is poorer for losing Mr. German. At least, he checked out doing what he loved to do.
Very sad news – it was always a pleasure to cross paths with Richard — such a kind person. I’ll miss him.
Have you heard the old adage that “showing up is half the battle?” Richard showed up, non-stop, for meetings spanning two decades, always kindly, gently, firmly supporting our efforts to make Portland more bicycle friendly. He always had a smile and hug for me. I will miss him. Mia Birk
A wonderful person and a dedicated, thoughtful bike advocate. You will be missed and well remember by all of us who ride bikes…and by those of us who frequent Annie Bloom’s. Thank you Richard, you made a difference.
Richard was a great, quirky guy – championed my books, gave me prime time and press at Blooms for performances and talked me up at the beginning when my first book came out. He was also the real deal when it came to championing bikes by speaking up and riding. See you down the road, Richard. It will be hard to walk into that bookstore and not see your gentle smile anymore.
On Tuesday, June 22nd as I got off the ferry in Friday Harbor I stopped to chat with an very unusual character about his bike and gear. He said he was biking up to a state park to camp and watch the Orcas for the week; he commented “I only have what I need”. We wished each other well and off he rode…
I hope Richard was able to enjoy the amazing journey of the whales and some beautiful sunsets!
Richard used to ride by my house in SW Portland daily. He always took the time to stop and say hi to me and my family. I will always remember him as a great neighbor, friend and cyclist.
To Mary Katherine:
Rest assured that Richard enjoyed the journey of the whales & sunsets. He always enjoyed the journey. That is one of the things that inspired others.