Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

Richard Flegel, 75, died Friday, Jan. 27 of an aneurysm at the Haines Health Center. His wife of 54 years, Carol Flegel, said that it was sudden, but that his health had declined recently.

Flegel was the local banker for 35 years. He helped build the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and served as the church musician playing the guitar and singing. He was a lifetime member of the fire department and a hospice volunteer. At the time of his death he was on the board of directors of Haines Assisted Living and the public library.

For decades Flegel organized the foot races in Tlingit Park on the Fourth of July, ending with a money toss where he delighted in throwing polished coins across the grass for children to find. On Halloween, he met trick-or-treaters in costume (often a witch) and handed out full-size candy bars wrapped in new bills.

"Rich loved his family, this town, to cook, music and his toys," Carol said. At the bank, he kept a drawer full of fidget spinners, and on his desk was a Zen sand garden.

News of his passing brought a rush of stories about his influence as an unorthodox lender from 1973 to 2008.

"Haines is what it is because Richard Flegel took the time to take the measure of many men and women and extend to them the chance for a life in Haines," former chamber of commerce president Ned Rozbicki said. "To know him was to understand that his yardstick reached far deeper than the numbers. Sitting in his office, his casual and friendly demeanor led one to believe that he had no other priorities or duties in this world beyond your conversation with him."

Pioneer Bar co-owner Christy Fowler said "the banker with a poet's soul" kept her family's business going through tough times.

When fisherman Norman Hughes needed pre-season cash he said, "Dick asked 'how much?' I said $10,000 or something like that, and he said, 'Okay, come back tomorrow.' We shook hands, I signed a piece of paper and that was it."

Tammy Rush, a single mom with "three children and five horses," said he was kind to her, and "made sure I always had good credit."

Ellen Larson was 21 when she landed in Haines to teach. She had spent her "last dollar" getting here from the East Coast. When she found a car for $700, "Dick agreed to give me a three-year loan. We laughed about that for years. I'm proud to say I paid it back early."

Thom Ely bought the bike shop in 1988 and was turned down when he asked Flegel for a loan for inventory. In 1992, the lot Ely's growing business was on in Skagway was for sale. "I went to see Dick again," He said. "He looked over my papers, smiled and said, 'Looks like you've proved yourself.'" Flegel gave him that loan, and worked with him for years afterwards on a handshake, Ely said.

Carol says an auditor once reprimanded Flegel for his "heart loans," as he called them, but after the probation period was up, the loans in question "had been paid."

Richard Flegel was born on Aug. 7, 1947 in Downers Grove, Ill to carpenter Rudy Flegel and Violet Simko Flegel. A younger sister, Barbara (Greene), died a few years ago. The family drove to Anchorage in 1951 seeking work. Violet and the children parted ways with Rudy, and she opened a second-hand store that also sold pets. Young Rich refinished furniture, repaired toasters for resale and took care of goldfish and guinea pigs.