Kermit W. Richardson

ORANGE - Kermit Welch Richardson, 82, of Richardson Road, died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, at Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin. His family had been at his bedside.

Born Oct. 20, 1929, in East Orange, he was the son of Harold and Ada (Welch) Richardson. He attended elementary school in East Orange and graduated from Bradford Academy in 1947, as class valedictorian and was an outstanding high school orator.

On Feb. 10, 1951, he married Margaret Grace Goulette in Orange. Most of their married life had been spent at their present home.

In earlier years, he worked at the Vermont State Tax Department. In 1963, he and his wife opened the Richardson Insurance Agency and the Richardson Associates Real Estate office in Bradford and continued that association until the business was sold in 2003. He also maintained insurance agency offices in Barre and Chelsea which are currently owned by his son Mark Richardson.

From 1951 to 1953, he served in the U.S. Army as a medic and had been stationed in Germany.

He was an avid gardener, rose grower, reader and enjoyed attending his grandchildren's sporting activities.

At the age of 14, he joined the Riverside Grange 455 in West Topsham and had served several terms as master. He had been a member for 69 years. He was master of the Vermont State Grange from 1970 to 1974, and is currently chairman of its executive committee. As a member of the National Grange, he had served as chaplain, lecturer, overseer and had been National Grange master.

Other memberships included the Orange Alliance Church and the Bradford Masonic Temple.

Kermit was a devoted citizen of the town of Orange, having served as town moderator, school board member, justice of the peace, town representative and was a past president of the Orange East Supervisory School District.

His business affiliations included the Orange and Grafton area Board of Realtors, the National Bank of Newbury, the Farmers and Traders Life Insurance Co. of Syracuse, N.Y., the Connecticut Valley Development Corp. and the Independent Mutual Agents of New England.

Margaret and Kermit had been co-chairmen of the Orange Bicentennial Celebration Committee and Heritage Festival for several years.

Besides his wife, he leaves two daughters, Sue Perrault, of Orange, and Beth Farnham and her husband, David, of Chelsea, and two sons, Kim Richardson and his wife, Joan, of Newport, and Mark Richardson and his wife, Sherri, also of Chelsea, as well as nine grandchildren: Tina Bearce; Keith, Justin, Andrew and Alex Richardson; Jaime Perrault, Heather Comstock and Melinda and Brian Farnham, and 14 great-grandchildren.

Besides his parents, he was predeceased by twin sisters, Helen Largin and Herma Clement.

Kermit will always be remembered for his devotion to his wife, his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, his community and his friends.

His funeral will be held Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, at 1 p.m. in the Orange Alliance Church.

Later interment will be made in the Brookhaven Cemetery in Orange.

Friends may call at the Hooker and Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy St., Barre, on Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Vermont State Grange Educational Aid Fund, in care of Merton Snow, 153 Twitchell Hill Road, Shaftsbury, VT 05262 or to the organization of choice.