William Richards

William J. Richards, age 89, died Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at his residence. A native of Alexandria, Virginia, he was a son of the late William and Lucy Crawford Richards. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Dorothy Powell Richards, and one brother, Thomas Richards. Bill was a United States Army veteran and served in the European Theatre in World War II. He started working at Flagg Brother's Shoes in Washington, DC after returning home when the war ended and continued employment with the parent company, Genesco in Nashville, TN. Bill retired as regional sales manager for Johnston & Murphy shoes. Upon his retirement in 1986, he enjoyed woodworking and stained glass as hobbies. After moving to North Carolina, he used his carpentry skills to remodel his home and make stained glass pieces for his family. He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Sonja Harjula Richards; four sons, William Richards (Kim), John Richards( Jenn) of Denver, CO, Robert Richards (Hiroko) of Clearwater, FL, and Michael Richards (Julie) of Amarillo, TX; three daughters, Michele Miller (Michael), Patricia Parker of Clearwater, FL, and Margaret Traumberg (Phil) of Denver, CO; one sister, Marie Weldon of Tallahassee, FL; three step-daughters, Jean Rudaitis of Fleming Island, FL, Donna Swanger (Greg) of Clyde, and Lisa Palazzo (Paul) of Boca Raton, FL; 21 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at Garden of Memories, San Antonio, FL.