Barbara Jean Lillie Richards age 91, passed away at her home surrounded by her family on November 18, 2014 in San Angelo, TX after a long and fulfilling life. The Memorial service will be held Saturday November 22, 2014 at 10:00 A.M. at Sierra Vista United Methodist Church in San Angelo.
Barbara was born in Battle Creek Michigan, growing up on the Michigan Root Prison Farm, where her father was the Senior Correctional Officer/farm manager of the Michigan State Prison system.
Barbara, along with her two sisters Betty and Beverly, attended school in a one room school house that taught students from 1st thru 8th grade. She graduated from East Jackson High School and entered Nursing School at W.A. Foote Memorial Hospital, following in her mother's footsteps as a Registered Nurse. Upon graduating she joined the US Army Nurse Corps as a Second Lieutenant and was stationed in Atlanta Georgia. She was assigned to the 3000 bed Lawson General Army Hospital. She worked in the orthopedic center for returning injured WWII troops. There began her love of surgery. And in Atlanta, in 1945 she met and married William Richards. Upon discharge from the Army Nurses Corps she and Bill lived in Michigan for several years. After one too many long cold winter and being snowed in for over a week with two young children, they decided the winters were too cold and oil too expensive and wanted to move to a warmer climate. They opened a map, closed their eyes, took a pencil, circled around and around then landed on San Angelo, Texas and the rest is history.
In 1949 she began working at Shannon West Texas Memorial Hospital in surgery. She was an instructor at the Shannon School of Nursing, teaching until the nursing program was closed and was moved to Angelo State University. In the Shannon Nursing Program she developed and taught the Operating Room Tech course. At Shannon, she was the In-service Director for many years and there are many nurses today who still remember Mrs. Richards. During her 39 years at Shannon she pretty much met everyone who worked there as they went to her many in-services. She was chairman of the Nurses Educators committee and brought many workshops to this West Texas town. The most notable was when she was able to get the renowned Dr. Elizabeth Kublar-Ross, author of Death, The Final Stage of Growth. Something every nursing student has been taught.
Barbara stayed a busy woman throughout her life. She volunteered as Girl Scout Leader for Patricia and Cheryl. She was a life time member of Concho Pearl Lions Club, working every pancake breakfast at Ft Concho. She was active with the American Heart Association, RSVP program, Three Rivers Good Sam's, Shannon Alumni, and also was very active in her church Sierra Vista United Methodist Church. She traveled all over the US in her RV accompanied many times by her cat H.C. As her children moved she took many overseas trips to visit them in Turkey, Germany and Holland. With friends she joined travel groups to Spain, Switzerland, Nova Scotia, England, Bahamas, and Cozumel, but was never able to take her most wanted trip to Scotland where her family roots are.
She is preceded in death by her father Clarence Lillie and mother Zella Rae Lillie, and sisters Beverly May and Betty Timmerman. She is survived by her son William Richards II (Rosemary) of San Angelo, daughter Karen Rhoads, of Arlington, Patricia Shoemake (Mark) of New Braunfels, and Cheryl Allen of Lubbock. Grandchildren are Stephen Miller(Julie), Mary Richards, Micah Shoemake (Regina), Phillip Shoemake, Chad Allen (Becky), Todd Allen (Sarah), and Brooke Allen-Phares (Kelly) along with 7 great grandchildren; also one niece, Sandra Fink of Columbus Ohio. And her special babies, HC, Teagar, and Reece, her cats.
A special thank you goes to Hospice of San Angelo and Ricci Ogle, who helped care for Barbara in her last year and became one of the family.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of San Angelo, Meals for the Elderly, Texas Lions Club Camp or Sierra Vista UMC endowment fund, or a charity of your choice.
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