Stephen Ernest Richards, 83, of The Villages, FL, passed away on the 29 of June, 2024 at Hospice. Stephen was born on August 4, 1940 in Worcester, MA to Barbara Gibbs Richards and William Ernest Richards.
He was a wonderful father, loyal and loving husband and a great philanthropist for local communities and youth sports. He coached his sons in Little League. He was very active in any local community he lived in. He was often volunteering to umpire youth baseball and referee youth football. He was a strong supporter and involved in the Cherry Hill East NJ booster club, and he played a fundamental part in raising money for athletics, which he continued after relocating to Florida in 1985.
Stephen became president of the Lake Mary High School Booster Club in 1987 and was instrumental in funding and constructing the varsity locker room/wrestling room, a stand-alone facility and weight room that is still used today. His father died in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. He was a graduate of Stephens Institute of Technology in 1962. Stephen was a shipping engineer for Westinghouse and then Siemens from 1963-2008. He was one of a few people who knew how to move large shipments of equipment through the Suez and Panama Canal. After 9-11, Siemens had a contract with the US Military and my father was responsible for moving 1000’s of tons of US Military equipment to the Middle East. He loved to play golf and shoot pool with his friends and family.
Stephen Ernest Richards is survived by his wife of over 56 years Mary Veronica Richards of The Villages, FL, and his sons, William Richards of The Villages, FL, Robert Richards of Boynton Beach, FL, and Michael Richards of Port Orange, FL; daughter Mary Elizabeth Richards Wood’s spouse, Jeffrey Scott Wood, of Orlando, FL; grandchildren are Ava Carrington Richards, Tate Joseph Richards, Liam Joseph Richards, Gabriel Stephen Richards, Mckenna Elizabeth Richards, and Aidan Michael Richards, and Jorge Zion Gomez.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on July 9, 2024, at the Community United Methodist Church, Fruitland Park, FL.