The late Lynn Kiewert experienced something unimaginable in October 2009 when her only child, her adult daughter Alicia, died suddenly of a brain aneurism.
Lynn’s world shifted seismically. Just minutes before, she’d been talking to her daughter on the phone. Next, she struggled with how to honor her memory. Lynn wanted Alicia’s life to continue to have a positive impact on others, so she set up a college scholarship in her daughter’s name at Bellarmine University in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. She and her daughter shared a love of animals, which inspired Lynn to ask that anyone pursuing pre-veterinary medicine be given preference for the scholarship.
After Alicia’s death, Alicia’s husband of 23 years, Bryan Richter, and his mother-in-law whom he still refers to as “mom,” maintained a strong relationship. Even after Bryan remarried, he and Lynn remained close. When Lynn passed away at the age of 84 in November 2024, she entrusted Bryan and his second wife, Amy, to execute her will. Lynn made multiple gifts to charitable organizations, and one of those was a gift to RMEF. Lynn wasn’t an RMEF member, but she read Bugle and since she is gone, no one can ask her why she chose to donate to the organization. But Bryan thinks he has a good idea.
“I can tell you she loved nature, and she loved being out West, and you don’t get much more out West than elk,” he says.
Bryan hunted throughout his life, and Lynn’s longtime partner Larry Graham hunted elk and shared the stories from those experiences with Lynn. For years, she and Larry made an annual September pilgrimage to Estes Park, Colorado, to watch the elk rut. Observing and listening to the majestic bulls inspired Lynn. She even purchased two bronze elk statues sculpted by Montana artist Craig Phillips.
“She wasn’t an outdoorsperson. She didn’t hunt; she didn’t fish, but she still appreciated it and decided to make a difference,” Bryan says.
Lynn’s gift makes her a member of RMEF’s Trails Society. The Trails Society recognizes supporters who include RMEF as a beneficiary in their estate plans through a will, trust, insurance policy or other means.
Bryan and Amy agree that if you ended up in Lynn’s will, it was the ultimate mark of her approval. “She was very particular. If she chose you, you were doing something right. That’s the biggest complement she could bestow,” says Amy.
Amy and Lynn clicked the moment they met. Amy remembers when Lynn showed up at her and Bryan’s house carrying a newspaper clipping. It was a picture and description of a dog that was available for adoption at the local animal shelter in Louisville.
“She stood in the living room and said, ‘Will you go with me to look at this dog?’” says Amy. “The picture was just adorable, and I knew as soon as I saw how meticulously it was cut out that we were getting this dog.” Sure enough, the terrier, Annie, came home that day. Annie lived with Lynn for the next 10 years.
Lynn made a lot of quiet, selfless gifts. One time when her caregiver’s dog got sick and needed care, she immediately handed over her credit card to pay for the dog’s treatment. She often purchased and delivered needed items to animal shelters.
“She left such a loving legacy,” says Amy.
“A loving legacy that almost no one knows,” adds Bryan. “She quietly was just so generous.”
With all her kindness, Lynn was feisty and knew her worth. While putting together her will, she was working with a university to leave some money.
“Apparently whoever she dealt with there was not very nice to her,” says Amy. “She didn’t expect them to kiss up to her or anything, but they didn’t seem very nice or very appreciative, so she said ‘forget it’ and gave $150,000 to a different university. She was the nicest person, but you did not want to be on her bad side.”
Lynn was also a brilliant card player with a quirky sense of humor. She and Larry played gin rummy with a running total of a penny a point. He passed away in 2013.
“When he died, he owed her like $70,” says Amy. “And she put the tally in the breast pocket of his suit before she closed the casket. She had such a great sense of humor.”
When Lynn talked to Amy about her final wishes, Lynn made her promise not to have a funeral or a memorial for her. She didn’t want the fuss. But Amy found a loophole in that promise.
“She didn’t make me promise not to have a birthday party,” Amy laughs. “She died in November of 2024, and her birthday was January 17, so we had a big birthday party with everyone in the family. It’s a technicality, so she can’t be mad at me.”
Lynn trusted RMEF to be the steward of her gift, stamping the organization with her approval. Lynn’s generosity will help ensure that the elk she loved and viewed as the spirit of the West will thrive for future generations to enjoy.