Rashad Jamal Richardson

Rashad Jamal Richardson was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this man was an outstanding luminary and that his natural abilities served him well. He knew with certainty how he wanted to set priorities in all aspects of his life. He struck those who knew him as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what he expected from his day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Rashad was a man who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Rashad would set about immediately to create it.

Rashad was born on December 23, 1986 at Boston Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts to his parents, Leonard and Florence. Rashad was brought up to be reasonable in his actions and was taught to use his intellect wisely. Rashad was raised with eleven siblings, Damon Gibbs, Ebony Harris, Leonard Harris Jr., Manuel Mendes, Raphael Knight, Jamilyah Waldron, ShaYaa Richardson, Angela Richardson, Leonard Richardson, Joshua Knight, and Imani Ziya.

When he was younger, Rashad had an adventurous and mischievous streak that got him into some trouble, and he was met with challenges that hindered his life. But Rashad was ever-determined to learn from these lessons and become the outstanding man he always could be. As he got older, he focused himself and learned to motivate himself and others around him. In high school, Rashad was a member of the Madison football and basketball teams. He enjoyed some courses more than others and developed favorite classes and teachers. The teachers he enjoyed learning from the most were Mr. Bell and Mr. McAfee. He graduated from Madison High School in 2003.

In a group of friends and acquaintances, Rashad was typically the first person to take the initiative to go up and greet someone new. That quality made him very approachable by others throughout his life. This same quality brought Rashad the reward of many friends. Maintaining loyalty to those friends was a trait that came naturally to Rashad. He believed that he should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way he wanted to be treated. Rashad also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of his friends. While growing up, some of his best friends were Danny, Michael, Kyle, and Chris, to name a few. Later in life, he became friends with Mike, Seth, Henry, Sam, Jordan, Josh, and many more.

Through learning from his past experiences in his life, Rashad matured into a man who now had a clear vision of what he sought in both his life and his relationship and worked hard to achieve it. Morgan was a significant part of his life, and it wasn’t necessary for Rashad to be overly sentimental or expressive about it for others to be aware of their mutual devotion. Rashad's secret to success was that he always kept the lines of communication open in the relationship and applied the important skill of being a good listener.

Rashad was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Rashad's favorites was Tyson, a Pitbull. His family was rounded out by his kinkajou, Timon, his snake, Jake, and his lizard, Zilla.

Rashad was viewed as a natural leader. He could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. Rashad was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. He was a designer and entrepreneur that was always great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. He was a motivational speaker who was able to inspire and challenge others to build themselves up to find new ways to reach their goals. Although Rashad might have been described by some as an overachiever, he was without question a dedicated and diligent man.

Rashad's ability to motivate, direct and organize others made him a valuable asset to the organizations to which he contributed during his lifetime. Rashad was one who could be counted on to work hard to implement goals and required little to begin work on a specific task. Once a project was begun, Rashad had a definite methodology for seeing it through to completion. He was an active member of a bowling league and various basketball leagues. He was competitive by nature and relished in the stimulation of the action and energy sports brought him.

Rashad lived his life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. His faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs. He would visit his friends' churches from time to time and would participate however he could.

He liked exploring different places but he favored going home to Boston to visit family and friends, and then recently to Maui in Hawaii with his fiancé, Morgan.

Rashad passed away on September 9, 2018 at Las Vegas, Nevada. He was tragically killed in a vehicular accident. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Leonard Chandler; father, Leonard Richardson; grandmother, Josephine Lewis; grandfather, William Richardson; stepbrother, Raphael Knight; aunt, Darice Richardson; and his brother, Ebony Harris. Rashad is survived by his fiancé, Morgan Harris; mother, Florence Knight; stepfather, Peter Knight; siblings, Damon Gibbs, Leonard Harris Jr., Manuel Mendes, Jamilyah Waldron, ShaYaa Richardson, Angela Richardson, Leonard Richardson, Joshua Knight, and Imani Ziya; grandmother, Constance Chandler; aunts, Marla Richardson, Deborah (Lionel) Carter, Ruth (John) Pina, Rudy Hester, and Kim (Howard) Venable; uncles, David (Nora) Hester, Charles B. (Gladys) Hester, and Aaron Hester; and a host of cousins, nephews, and nieces. Services were held at Palm Southwest in Las Vegas with an honorary cemetery in Boston.

Rashad Jamal Richardson knew what he wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. He could be characterized as a driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Rashad was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. He was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If he saw that something needed to be done, he was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan. With magnitude of sorrow, he will be deeply missed.