Leo D. Richardson, “Kansas Boy”, age 80 and a longtime resident of Waterford, died unexpectedly on Sunday, June 27, 2010 at Saint Vincent Health Center. He will be missed very much by his family and friends and remembered as an honest and dependable man and a great storyteller.
Born on June 29, 1929 in Piedmont, Kansas, he was the son of the late Edgar and Elsie (Johnson) Richardson. When Leo was 6 years old, his family had to leave their beloved farm in Kansas due to the ravages of the Dust Bowl, and move to Lake City, PA.
He met his wife Vivian (Fileger) Richardson 62 years ago and married her on January 17, 1948. They were best friends and constant companions as they raised a family, traveled and enjoyed life on their property.
Leo proudly worked at Lord Corporation for 43 years until his retirement in 1988 and is a member of the “Lord Quarter Century Club”.
In 1962, he moved his family to 236 East 2nd Street, Waterford. He always believed it was the perfect home and community in which to raise his family. Upon retirement they moved to Greenlee Road in Waterford.
Leo enjoyed hunting with his friends Dick Moran and Bob Nick, his hunting camps in Kinzua and Hermit Springs, and being a spectator at sporting events, plays and concerts in which his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren participated. He helped coach Waterford Little League and was a member of the Lake City Volunteer Fire Department.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Dale Richardson, his son-in-law Dennis Mehalic, and his granddaughter Brown and great-grandson Prosperi.
In addition to his wife Vivian (Fileger) Richardson, he is survived by four daughters: Karen (Kenneth) Brown of Sorrento, FL, Marsha (Daniel) Huck of Waterford, Susan (Jon) Stankowski of Mill Village, and Sally Mehalic of McDonald, PA; a son Alan (Debbie) Richardson of Waterford; also, 11 grandchildren: Craig, Bradley and Adam Huck, Grant, Clint and Clay Prosperi, Karl Richardson, Cheryl (Brown) Barnes, Peggy (Brown) Grossenbacher, Lindsey (Stankowski) Phelps and Stefanie (Stankowski) Bogert; and 12 great-grandchildren: Mason Grossenbacher, Joel, Coleman and Sadie Huck, Dallas and Kaydance Bogert, Rylee, Colton, Trent and Chase Prosperi and Ethan and Zachary Phelps. Leo also has 3 sisters, Gail Levitre and Janet (Harold) Vorse of Conneautville, PA and Maxine Rounds of Erie.
Friends may call at the Van Matre Funeral Home of Waterford, 105 Walnut Street, on Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9pm. The funeral service, officiated by Pastor Betty Hollabaugh of the Mill Village United Methodist Church, will take place Thursday morning at 11:00am at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Waterford Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to Stancliff Hose Company, PO Box 275, Waterford, PA 16441.
Please accept our most sincere condolences on the passing of your Husband and Dad; our cousin and friend. We will forever recall his storytelling during our visits that were much fewer than we wanted due to the great distances between our homes. And we will always remember their visit to our home right after we moved to Florida. Not many people would embark on a 1500-mile bus trip, even to Florida in late fall; but they always were adventurists to a degree. We will miss him very much.