1947
John
2016
John Richards
September 13, 1947 — January 16, 2016
RICHARDS, John
9/13/47 - 1/16/2016
Vicksburg
John Richards passed away at home Saturday with his wife of 25 years, Diann Stender, at his side. John was a cherished husband, father, grandfather and friend. His survivors include his daughters Johnna (Rob) Kline, Shalee (Jeremiah) Paraoan, Kristi (Dennis) Edwards, Julie Gimbel, 10 loving grandchildren, his mother Yvonne Richards, sisters Judith (Richard) Santek, Janith (Norm) Minshall, and many nieces and nephews.
Most important to John was his family. He loved having his kids and grandkids (and everyone else's) out to drive endless laps around the fields on the four-wheelers. His prowess at the pig-roaster was known far and wide, and was a much utilized talent at the frequent picnics hosted by John and his wife, Diann Stender. Weekend sleepovers with piles of grandkids had John manning the waffle iron early and often. He treasured his visits to Hawaii to see his daughter Shalee and her family.
John loved tinkering and always had a knack for figuring out how things worked. His love of racing was a thread that ran throughout his life- from building cars in the shop, driving on the track with his mini-champ car or watching Nascar from the sidelines, he loved fast engines.
John had several careers during his lifetime. He served his country in the Army from 1967-1971 and upon his return home, applied his training to fixing CB radios and electronics. During this time, John and his first wife, Linda had two beautiful daughters, Johnna and Shalee. For 18 years, John (known as JR on this job) worked in technical maintenance for Portage Public Schools. Then in 1990, he married Diann and added her two daughters, Kristi and Julie, into his growing family. In a leap of courage, John then started his own excavating company, J Richards Excavating and grew it to a thriving business.
John enjoyed helping others and was always diagnosing and fixing problems with cars, motorcycles, small enginesa�"anything that plugged in or ran on gasoline. He dealt in an unusual commodity for most of his services and a phrase known to most anyone that John knew well was 'It's gonna cost you'. The price was generally a pan of chocolate brownies, thick with gooey frosting on top.
John will be deeply missed
The family will greet friends on Wednesday, January 20th from 5-7 pm at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Portage Chapel, 411 East Centre Ave., where the funeral service will be held on Thursday, January 21st at 1:00 pm. Committal will follow at Vicksburg Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in John's name may be directed to a charity of your choice.
**MEMORIALS**
In lieu of flowers:
Memorials may be made to the charity of the donor's choice.
411 East Centre Ave
Portage, MI, US, 49002
411 East Centre Ave
Portage, MI, US, 49002
Vicksburg, MI, US, 49097
9/13/47 - 1/16/2016
Vicksburg
John Richards passed away at home Saturday with his wife of 25 years, Diann Stender, at his side. John was a cherished husband, father, grandfather and friend. His survivors include his daughters Johnna (Rob) Kline, Shalee (Jeremiah) Paraoan, Kristi (Dennis) Edwards, Julie Gimbel, 10 loving grandchildren, his mother Yvonne Richards, sisters Judith (Richard) Santek, Janith (Norm) Minshall, and many nieces and nephews.
Most important to John was his family. He loved having his kids and grandkids (and everyone else's) out to drive endless laps around the fields on the four-wheelers. His prowess at the pig-roaster was known far and wide, and was a much utilized talent at the frequent picnics hosted by John and his wife, Diann Stender. Weekend sleepovers with piles of grandkids had John manning the waffle iron early and often. He treasured his visits to Hawaii to see his daughter Shalee and her family.
John loved tinkering and always had a knack for figuring out how things worked. His love of racing was a thread that ran throughout his life- from building cars in the shop, driving on the track with his mini-champ car or watching Nascar from the sidelines, he loved fast engines.
John had several careers during his lifetime. He served his country in the Army from 1967-1971 and upon his return home, applied his training to fixing CB radios and electronics. During this time, John and his first wife, Linda had two beautiful daughters, Johnna and Shalee. For 18 years, John (known as JR on this job) worked in technical maintenance for Portage Public Schools. Then in 1990, he married Diann and added her two daughters, Kristi and Julie, into his growing family. In a leap of courage, John then started his own excavating company, J Richards Excavating and grew it to a thriving business.
John enjoyed helping others and was always diagnosing and fixing problems with cars, motorcycles, small enginesa�"anything that plugged in or ran on gasoline. He dealt in an unusual commodity for most of his services and a phrase known to most anyone that John knew well was 'It's gonna cost you'. The price was generally a pan of chocolate brownies, thick with gooey frosting on top.
John will be deeply missed
The family will greet friends on Wednesday, January 20th from 5-7 pm at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Portage Chapel, 411 East Centre Ave., where the funeral service will be held on Thursday, January 21st at 1:00 pm. Committal will follow at Vicksburg Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in John's name may be directed to a charity of your choice.
**MEMORIALS**
In lieu of flowers:
Memorials may be made to the charity of the donor's choice.
Visitation
JAN 20. 05:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Langeland Family Funeral Homes - Portage Chapel411 East Centre Ave
Portage, MI, US, 49002
Service
JAN 21. 01:00 PM
Langeland Family Funeral Homes - Portage Chapel411 East Centre Ave
Portage, MI, US, 49002
Interment
JAN 21
Vicksburg CemeteryVicksburg, MI, US, 49097
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