Kathleen Ann Richards devoted her life to serving and helping others around her, particularly the less fortunate. A lifelong, passionate learner, she earned admiration and respect as a compassionate, feisty woman of indomitable inner strength devoted to issues of justice. She was born in Muskegon, Michigan to Angela (Burcon), the daughter of Polish immigrants, and Freely Richards who died suddenly in Kathy’s youth. Her birth on March 18 in 1946, shortly after World War II, placed her on the leading edge of the Baby Boomer generation. The youngest of five children, she outlived all of her siblings -- Patrick (and Aggie) Richards, Janet (and Jim) Nesbitt, Robert (and Joyce) Richards, and Mary (and Dennis) LaFaive. To her nieces and nephews, Aunt Kathy was the favorite aunt who unfailingly sent them annual birthday greetings throughout their lives. She loved and adored her only child, Adam Richards, his wife Sheri (Russell), and her four wonderful grandsons: Simeon, Elisha, Micah, and Demetrios, who adored her in return. Kathy served a full career in the United States Postal Service, working devotedly in Seal Beach, California, and in Western Michigan in Kentwood, Walker, and Wyoming. She was affectionately known by her co-workers as "Duckbutt." Kathy was a devout Christian woman and, for the last several years of her life, a member of St. Patrick's in Spring Lake, Michigan. She was married to Christ and participated in Eucharistic adoration regularly. Kathy was a pillar of strength with a contagious laugh, unpretentious and generous to the end. Her passing will leave an enduring void in the lives of many.
