Jake Richter, well known on Bonaire for his contributions in the Internet arena over the last ten-plus years, passed away on Friday, after battling melanoma cancer for fourteen months.
Jake and his family have lived on Bonaire since the late 1990s, and Jake, along with his wife, Linda, was the driving force behind putting Bonaire on the “Internet map” long before other destinations had even thought of Internet destination marketing. He was the founder of many innovative web sites, including InfoBonaire.com, BonaireTalk.com, The Bonaire E-News, The Bonaire Web Cams, and he was also a co-editor of this tourism blog, The Bonaire Insider.
Jake did much for the island in other ways–he also set up and founded SupportBonaire.com, which allowed visitors from other destinations to make donations to charitable foundations on Bonaire but yet providing them with a tax deduction. Many visitors got to know Jake through his participation and co-sponsoring of the quarterly underwater cleanups. Jake and Linda opened the Richter Art Gallery several years back, which also brought many visitors in contact with him, as they got to know him better.
Jake was diagnosed with melanoma cancer in early 2011, and he fought a very brave battle against this disease, but in the end, the disease won out. Jake Richter surely will be missed by those left behind on Bonaire, as well as by the many visitors who had their experiences on Bonaire enriched by knowing him.
Jake is survived by his wife, Linda, daughter, Krystyana, and son, Bas, as well as his parents and siblings. Ayo, Jake, rest in peace.
Thank you to Susan Davis for providing this information (Source: Bonaire Insider Reporter)
