WINTER, Lauren R.

Photo courtesy: Telegraph Herald

WINTER, Lauren R. (Dubuque, IA, Nov. 9, 1958--Oakland, CA, Dec. 11, 2023) Born as Richard Loras Winter to Loras Richard Winter (deceased) and Marilyn Ann Winter (Fluhr) (deceased), Richard attended St. Patrick’s School and WAHLERT CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLin Dubuque. He was an outstanding bike racer who competed at the national level. Richard went on to attend Iowa State University of Science and Technology, in Ames, Iowa, and completed a B.S. degree in Computer Science at LORAS COLLEGE before beginning a career as a software engineer working on robotics, computer controlled systems, games and drones. Rik began building robots and competed in Robot Wars and Battlebots. His interest in cars continued to grow. Eventually he purchased a 1969 Porsche 911S and began racing it.

In 2004, Richard transitioned, changing his name to Lauren. She used her experiences to help mentor others transitioning and as chair for the board for Lyon Martin Community Health Services. She went on to represent the community during Pride Week in San Francisco.

Lauren continued riding bikes in the Oakland hills throughout her life, while her interest in cars increased. She purchased other Porsches and raced other cars, but the 911S was always her favorite. Lauren suffered a serious accident while racing at Sears Point Raceway and another on the Playa but continued to love cars and to work on them, including the famous Snail Art Car.

Lauren’s career developed in 1984 after she moved to California. She worked for Lam Research, Syntertainment and Esri Geographic Information systems. A skilled engineer and leader, she was respected and appreciated by her team and co-workers. She enjoyed living in California. She attended Burning Man and other events on the Playa, loved road trips, excellent restaurants, dressing up, and celebrating.

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Source:

"Record," Telegraph Herald, January 14, 2024, p. 11A