Volkmar Risch, a German instructor at VCU since 1986, lost a year-long battle with cancer on Tuesday, April 4, at his home in Goochland, Virginia.

Mr. Risch is described by colleagues, friends, and students as an energetic, charismatic individual who lived life to the fullest and taught with the utmost passion and enthusiasm.

"Volkmar was a generous soul," said R. McKenna Brown, Director of the School of World Studies. "He was a model of savoring life and maintaining a positive attitude."

"He was really a workhorse for us because he taught three or four courses per semester," said Paul Dvorak, Professor of German at VCU . "He was really an instructor that students cared for and liked a lot."

Volkmar Risch earned his Bachelor and Master degrees in English literature from University of Oldenburg, Germany. He taught all levels of German language and culture since 1985 at VCU, University of Richmond, J. Sargent Reynolds Community College, St. Catherine's School, The Collegiate School, and Trinity Episcopal School. In 2004, he worked as a German instructor with the Virginia Governor's Foreign Language Academies.

In 2005, Volkmar Risch received VCU's Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award.

He will be sorely missed in the School of World Studies and at VCU.

Richmond Times-Dispatch Obituaries, Volkmar Risch