Manfred Raschke

Manfred Raschke of Byfield MA passed away peacefully March 28 at Anna Jaques Hospital of complications related to Parkinson’s. In addition to his beloved wife of 39 years, Cynthia, he is survived by son William and wife Ashley of Haverhill MA, son Derek and wife Jenny of Hampden ME, and five grandchildren ages 2 to 8.

Manfred was born in 1947 in Marktredwitz, Germany, where his mother had fled after being displaced by Russian forces, and where his father worked for the American Army. After the Raschkes settled in Toronto, Canada, Manfred received a BA from the University of Toronto, further post-grad education at SUNY Buffalo, and institutes abroad in Rome, Athens, Cairo, and England, and ultimately, a PhD in Economic History from Harvard University, nearly all of which were paid for by scholarships. His 3-volume thesis, Roman Coins on the Indian Subcontinent, was reprinted in Germany and China, and served as a resource for subsequent doctoral students.

After serving as a professor of history at Duke University and UC Davis, Dr. Raschke joined the corporate world as an Energy Economist with Temple, Barker & Sloan (later Mercer Consulting) and eventually started his own consulting company that he and Cyd based in their home in Newburyport. His various projects led to adventures in the 1980s and 1990s such as sitting next to “Dear Abby” in a school bus bouncing on a dusty road toward a remote Chinese coal mine; walking down a street in Hong Kong only to be stopped by a man who said, “I saw you on TV in Pakistan!”; and an infamous round-the-world trip during which a Southeast Asian sultan gave Dr. Raschke permission to fly on the ruler’s private plane so he wouldn’t miss a speaking engagement in London. Manfred reported that “the food was delicious, and the sultan wearing saffron robes watched Looney Tunes and laughing the entire flight.”

Dr. Raschke’s professional claim to fame was the spearheading of an American/British consortium for the first privatized powerplant in former East Germany. That company, MIBRAG, stabilized the livelihood of the local economy in a time of post-Soviet Bloc upheaval, provided the Saxon-Anhalt region reliable sources of fuel, and in recent years, has developed clean sources of energy such as solar and wind.

Manfred’s passions were skiing, swimming, hiking, and playing with toy soldiers and Brio train track sets with his family. He liked music, entertaining and cooking exotic recipes he discovered from his many travels. He was often called Father Christmas because of the holiday he treasured. He began the “Christmas Tree Tower” tradition at the family’s former home on High Street, hosted an annual caroling party, and baked hundreds of traditional Lebkuchen cookies that friends and family found addictive.

Manfred had long been a Cat Dad, and after being confined to assisted living, always asked about his “kitties.” In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, 63 Elm St. Salisbury MA 01952.

Manfred’s Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, May 2, at 11:00 am at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 26 Pleasant Street, Newburyport.