Mary Lowell Richardson, 100, passed away on Monday, May 20, 2019 at her home with family by her side. A service celebrating her life will be at held at a later date. She will be laid to rest next to her husband at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Hollywood Hills, California.
Mary was born on October 4, 1918 in Cortland, New York, the daughter of LeRoy and Helen (Delavan) Lowell. She lived in several states as a young woman and graduated from Spring Arbor Junior College in Michigan. She met the love of her life, Glenn Richardson, when they were both teenagers in school, and they were married by her father, a minister, in her parent’s yard on August 23, 1938. They enjoyed 55 years together and were blessed with two children, Donald and Anne. Mary moved to Columbia in 1994 to live closer to her daughter and son-in-law, Anne and Jim Campbell, who cared for her and helped to make the last 25 years of her life meaningful and pleasant. Last October she celebrated her 100th birthday with great happiness and pride that she made her goal of reaching 100. She was overjoyed that a card shower brought over 130 birthday cards.
During World War II years, Mary worked as a statistical typist in Detroit, MI. Later her life was dedicated to helping her husband with his career and with raising her family in Detroit, Miami, FL and Greenville, IL. She traveled widely with Glenn when he was the head of a steel company in Detroit. During much of her time in Greenville, IL during the 1960’s, her husband was president of Greenville College, and she graciously served as first lady of the college. Throughout her life she was an excellent cook and organizer and loved to entertain people from all walks of life in her home. She and her husband provided resources and encouragement for countless young people to obtain college and graduate educations, and Mary was known as “Mom R” to several young women who lived in her home while attending college or beginning careers. With retirement, Mary and Glenn moved to Dana Point, California where they were active in church and many other activities. Mary had a love and talent for poetry and more than anything else was a lover of books. She was a voracious reader who always had many books around her. She shared her love of reading and books by being a church librarian at the San Clemente, CA Presbyterian Church and at First Christian Church in Columbia. She was thankful for keeping her vision as she was always reading books, magazines and newspapers both for enjoyment and keeping up with events.
Mary was a member of First Christian Church in Columbia and a valued member of the Coffman Watson CWF (Christian Women’s Fellowship) for many years. While she volunteered for several causes in Columbia, her favorites were working in the church library and proofreading the weekly church newsletter. Having once worked for a publishing company, she had excellent proofreading skills that she shared frequently during her life including many years for First Christian Church. Mary was also passionate about Christian missions. She enjoyed working with the missions committee at the San Clemente Church and developed deep friendships with many people on mission fields around the world. She supported several missionaries and organizations that promoted Christian literacy and outreach to many different groups and countries. Her faithfulness in extending her friendship and resources to her special causes was of great pride to her family. Mary was a lifelong learner and special mother and grandmother to her family and to the many people she took into her home and helped get college educations. She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed.
Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn Richardson in 1993, her parents LeRoy and Helen Lowell, and her brother, Ralph Lowell.
She is survived by her son Donald Richardson and wife Rosalie of Aiken, South Carolina; daughter Anne Campbell and husband James of Columbia; brother Robert Lowell of Phoenix, Arizona; granddaughters Lori Richardson of St. Louis, Shelli Foust of Warrensburg; great-grandchildren, Rachel Jones and husband Aaron, and David Foust; and great-great-grandchildren Callen and Everett Jones.
Mary’s family extends special thanks to physicians Paul Tatum and Greg Flaker, to the pastors and office personnel at First Christian Church, to the four very special ladies from Home Instead Senior Care who helped her to stay in her own home the last few years of her life and to Hospice Compassus for helping to keep her comfortable at the end of her life.
Memorials are suggested to First Christian Church, 101 N. Tenth St., Columbia, MO 65201; to Second Chance, 24687 MO Highway 179, Boonville, MO 65233; or to Mobility Worldwide, 1908 Heriford Rd, Columbia, MO 65202.
