UNION GROVE, Wis. — Christine “Crissy” Luxem and Carol Talbert have been flipping through pages, trying to find any leads left behind by Air Force veteran Roni Richotto.
Richotto died alone in his apartment in Racine in late February at the age of 76.
“He needed a place, so he reached out, and I got to know Roni for several weeks. He was always a personal guy,” said Luxem.
Luxem is the founder of Ground Zero Veterans Outreach Inc., a nonprofit organization that specializes in helping veterans find housing and access services, some of which it provides.
Crissy helped him relocate to a new apartment in August 2024 but lost touch after she underwent surgery.
“He kind of just wanted to be left alone,” Luxem said.
After attempting to reach him again and not hearing back, she decided to conduct a welfare check, where she discovered him dead in the middle of his apartment. Crissy knew he was sick but didn’t realize the extent of his condition. Neither did anyone else she believed.
“Just knowing that he went through that alone, it breaks my heart,” Luxem said.
Watch: Racine Co. nonprofit seeks family of late Air Force veteran, help burying him
No next of kin or close friends were listed for Roni, and Luxem said the coroner exhausted every avenue in search of them.
This was the only picture she could provide of the 76-year-old from Chicago, who would have turned 77 next week. According to Luxem, he did not have any children.
“I don't really know much about the soldier, except for the time we spent moving him and getting him set up,” Luxem said.
Ground Zero Veterans Outreach plans to lay him to rest, but they have struggled to find a program that can help with burial expenses. The organization runs on donations and cannot gather the necessary funds by next week.
That’s why they reached out to TMJ4.
“The biggest thing is we want to put him to rest,” Luxem said.
Crissy hopes that by sharing his name, she can at least let family know he is at peace and help lay him to rest.
If you have any information about Roni Richotto or would like to donate to help with burial expenses, contact Ground Zero Veterans Outreach Inc. by calling 262-822-4145 or visiting https://www.gzvo.org/contact-us.
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