Richard E. Sauder, 77, of Lake Forest, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Kemper Life Insurance Cos., died of viral pneumonia Thursday, Dec. 21, in Westmoreland Nursing Home, Lake Forest. Mr. Sauder joined the Kemper Group in 1973. He was a respected businessman and always “a perfect gentleman,” his wife, Judy, said. Mr. Sauder was born and raised in Lancaster, Pa. He attended Temple University in Philadelphia, but his studies were interrupted by World War II. He entered the Army and became a pilot in the Army Air Forces, flying missions in the South Pacific. After the war he returned to Temple, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. He later earned a master’s degree in the Columbia University Graduate School Executive Program, his wife said. Before joining Kemper, Mr. Sauder was a corporate vice president and director at USLife Corp. He also was a director of the Illinois Life Insurance Council and the Illinois Health Care Committee. In addition to his wife, Mr. Sauder is survived by a daughter, Sherrie Ward, and two grandchildren. Services have been held.
