Daddy-O

Maybe this isn’t the appropriate place to put this but here it is anyway.

These last few days Tiffany and I made a mad dash to Duluth, MN to see my father before he died. We drove all night and arrived at St. Mary’s Hospital at 5:30 am. He was in a deep sleep. I told him he could do all the sleeping he wanted after he died but he had to wake up now. It took a long time but we got him to come around first he opened his eyelids and his eyes were rolling around. After some more encouragement his eyes flew wide open and you could see his eyes focus in on us one at a time. We were holding his hands and he squeezed them tightly and held on. He talked to us a quite a bit, but we could not understand, but all that needed to be said was communicated through the squeezes he gave our hands. We had him with us for only a few moments before the nurses gave him more medication and he was gone again. Shortly after we lost him forever. Good-bye Daddy-O from your #1, I love you and miss you terribly.

This is a picture I took of my Dad in Sault Ste. Marie Canada. He made me take a week of vacation and spend it with him watching him play bridge all day long everyday at a big contract bridge tournament. he wanted me to learn to play bridge and sure enough I did learn it and was excited to join a bridge club but couldn’t find one.

Here is the obit I wrote for my Dad which I am sure will not get used, but you get the idea of what he was like. A walking stereotype of a hockey playing Northern Minnesotan, yes and he had the accent and all.

Robert (Bob) R. Richards, 78, of Duluth, MN passed Friday, June 27th, 2008 in St. Mary’s Hospice. He was born November 18th, 1929 in Flint, Michigan to Stanley (Roy) and Esther Richards. He lived in Ashland, WI for a short time and the remainder of his life in Duluth. He graduated June 1948 from Central High School.
He served in active duty for U.S. Marines with B Company, 4th Infantry Battalion, from June 1948 until June 1950. He was drafted by the US Army for duty in the front-lines of the Korean Conflict May 1951 until April 1953. His Army service was with the U.S., 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Battalion, Company A.
He was an union electrician since 1953, working most of his career for Modern Electric, a company owned by his father. Bob was a 54 year member of IBEW Local. He never missed a Union Meeting or Picnic. He was an active real estate developer and mentor to many in the Duluth Real Estate community. His passion and hobby was playing Contract Bridge, he was a member of the Duluth Contract Bridge Club. We are all very proud of his international accomplishment of becoming a Gold Life Master in less than two years! Bob had a corny, self-deprecating sense of humor that we will miss so much. For the remainder of our lives we will remember his favorite “lines” and they will bring smiles to our faces and hearts. He loved flirting with the ladies and did so to the very end. He lost his front teeth playing hockey as a teen and even though he financial able he refused to have them replaced. That’s our Dad and we love him just as he was, he was an original.
He is survived by his three daughters, Julie (Mos) Richards-Mostosky, Cheryl, and Jill Richards; three grand children, Tiffany Toland, Joshua (Renee) Richards, and Forrest Stowe; two great grand children, Nevaeh Vasquez and Ryan Richards; brother, Earl (Gloria) Richards.
Memorial Service: 2 pm Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at Dougherty Funeral Home with a gathering of friends from 1 pm – 2 pm. Internment is at Sunrise Memorial, Hermantown.