NASHVILLE
Jeffrey Hall Richardson passed away peacefully at home, holding his wife’s hand, on Wednesday April 12, 2023 after a long battle with cancer. He was Jeff, Jefe, Papa, and Pops to the ones closest to him. He loved his family and friends, was a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and was a fantastic cook who continued to prepare delicious meals for the ones he loved long after he lost the ability to partake of them. He enjoyed quietly observing the joy and happy chatter of others and had the gift of sharp, kind wit and intelligence wrapped up in very few words. He loved to help others and was most at peace when he was giving his time to those who needed it. Jeff was also a Master Gardener who after many years as a frustrated farmer in his shady valley, finally found relief in the sun, making new, cherished friendships at the Brown County Community Garden. Although he was a busy man, he made sure to take time to let his Parson Russell Bob show him around the woods, often accompanied by Bob’s younger pup-sister Audrey. Jeff was born to parents Patricia Ann and James Edwin Richardson on September 8, 1957 in Cherry Point, North Carolina while his father was stationed there in the Marine Corps. He attended Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana and Indiana University, Bloomington. Jeff especially loved his years at IU and came away with lifetime friends and brothers in the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity. The summer before Jeff started college, his family moved from their home in Indianapolis, Indiana to Brown County and started their hobby farm Pickle Meadows, where Jeff’s mother Pat also worked to rehabilitate wild animals. Despite starting school later that year, he was home on the farm plenty often enough to come away with just as many bumps, bruises, and hilarious stories as anyone who has ever been victimized by runaway horses, unruly llamas, and mischievous bobcats. Jeff’s work on the farm often ended in Stooge-like situations involving his dad and younger brother, Todd. The family still laughs regularly about these antics many years later, often at Jeff’s good-humored expense. He must not have minded being the “Larry” to his dad’s “Moe,” because Jeff spent most of his adult years working in the family specialty carpentry business, installing steel support systems in medical facilities. It was another labor of love in his life that kept him connected to his family. Also during those years, Jeff took on one of his most cherished roles in life as he helped raise his niece Suzie, together with his then-wife Kristina. Jeff watched Suzie grow from a teenager into a beautiful adult, married to her husband Bret Frederick and a wonderful mother to the four children who made Jeff a “Papa,” Hayley, Brayden, Odessa, and Everly. Jeff married his wife Kathryn Richardson on December 24, 2020 but they had shared a life for many, many years before Kathryn made an honest man of him. Together, they spent treasured years going on adventures around the world, steadily making their house just the way they wanted it, and hosting the family for Sunday dinners. They never could agree in the kitchen on who was “sous-chef” to whose “head chef” but friends and family secretly thought that Jeff (Jefe) could call himself whatever he wanted once he convinced Kathryn to use more butter in her cooking. An unsung role that Jeff had for a large part of his life was as a support to his niece and nephew, Libby and Scott. True to form, Jeff was always there: consistent, steadfast, and full of love. He adored Libby’s two kids, Genevieve and Finnegan, who gave him the name “Pops” and enjoyed the chaos of the growing brood when Libby married her husband Nate and team “Pops” grew by three, to include Ruth Ann, Bo, and Lorelei. Jeff is survived by his wife Kathryn; his three unofficial children Suzie (Bret) Frederick, Libby (Nate) Pennington, and Scott Richardson; nine grandchildren, Hayley, Brayden, Odessa, Everly, Genevieve, Finnegan, Ruth Ann, Bo, and Lorelei; an uncle, Larry Snyder; and many cousins, KDR brothers, and very dear friends. Jeff’s family is planning a private celebration of life but they encourage any desired donations in his name to be made to the Brown County Community Foundation to benefit early childhood education in Brown County and/or the Parks and Recreation Department’s Community Garden.
