Darlene "Dar" Smith Richardson, 81, of Fort Wayne, passed away on Sunday, November 24, 2019. A native of LaPorte, Indiana, and raised in Columbia City, Dar had been a resident of Fort Wayne for over 60 years. She was a Grief and Loss counselor and considered to be an expert in her field, and developed, implemented and facilitated support groups for Visiting Nurse & Hospice Home in Fort Wayne. Dar trained volunteers in Hospice programs, bereavement programs, Stephen Ministries and others, as well as guest lectured throughout the country on the subject of grief and loss. She also received numerous awards and accolades for her work, both as a professional and as a volunteer. Dar served on the not-for-profit boards of Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Positive Resource Connection, Fort Wayne Rescue Mission Ministries and others.
Dar is survived by her two sons, Michael J. Suever of California and Patrick A. (Lisa) Suever of St. Joe, Indiana; daughters, Anne Hudson of Grand Rapids, Michigan and Beth Smith of Fenton, Michigan; six grandchildren; and brother, Lawrence Smith of LaPorte, Indiana. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Thomas J. Richardson and Donald F. Wood; and sister, Kay Lehman.
Memorial service will be on Friday, December 6, 2019 at 3:00 pm at Trinity Episcopal Church (611 West Berry Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802) with visitation in the church lounge beginning at 1:00 pm until the time of service.
Memorial contributions may be made to Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Positive Resource Connection.
