Douglas Charles Richardson

Douglas Charles Richardson, died on January 10, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia, after a yearlong illness with ALS. Doug was born April 13, 1957, in Durand, Illinois, to Lester “Red” and Rosemary Richardson. He graduated from Durand High School in 1975. Doug earned a bachelor’s degree at Illinois State University in 1979 and a master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois in 1981. He took a position on the Washington staff of first term Congresswoman Lynn Martin (R-Illinois) that year. By 1985, Doug was on Governor James Thompson’s staff in the Washington office. He followed Thompson to Winston and Strawn in 1991, and became a top federal lobbyist for the firm’s District of Columbia office. There he represented clients including the Regional Transportation Authority of Northeastern Illinois, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, trucking interests, Southern Illinois University and, Oprah Winfrey passing national child protection laws. In 1986 Doug met Jane Dees in Washington, DC. She was originally from Worland, Wyoming. The two married in 1990 and children soon followed: Colin Dees Richardson, born in 1993, now a second year at the University of Virginia, Katherine Jane Richardson, in 1995, a high school junior and Nicole MacLean Richardson in 1998, a high school freshman. Both girls attend Bishop O’Connell Catholic High School in Arlington, VA. Doug’s family life opened a door to community involvement in his neighborhood, church. Once voted “Most Valuable Parent” by his basketball parent peers, he was a fixture at the after school and weekend games of his three children at St. Agnes Parish and throughout North Arlington. He reveled in coaching soccer and basketball, passing on lessons learned on the football fields of north central Illinois, where his defensive play earned him all-conference and all-state honors for his hometown Durand High School Bulldogs. In October 2011, Doug was diagnosis with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He lost the battle 15 months later. The funeral is scheduled for Wednesday, January 16, St. Agnes Church at 1:00. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the ALS Association, www.alsa.org in hopes of finding a treatment and cure for this disease.