CORY L. RICHARDS

CORY L. RICHARDS
On Thursday, April 4, 2013 Cory Lerner Richards, 64 of the District died peacefully at the Washington Home and Community Hospice. He had pancreatic cancer and metastasis. He is survived by his husband Douglas Mitchell, his mother and stepfather Vicki L. and Monty Bergman, and his brother Scott Richards. Born in Omaha, NE he graduated from Central High School and Yale University. He came to Washington in 1970 and first worked for a member of Congress and then spent 38 years with the Guttmacher Institute where he was most recently executive vice president and vice president for public policy. Cory inspired and nurtured the Institute's evolution into the leading research and policy analysis think tank working in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Beyond Guttmacher, he held volunteer leadership positions with several prominent organizations in the field. A dedicated mentor, he trained generations of young professionals to become effective leaders. At home, Cory enjoyed cooking for his family, friends and neighbors, reading, and listening to classical music and the Saturday afternoon broadcast of the opera on public radio. He was also an avid movie-goer. Cory donated his body to medical research; interment of the ashes will be private at a later date. A memorial service to remember and celebrate his life will be held May 6, 2013 at 2 p.m. For details about the service: corymemorial2013@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers, donations in Cory's memory may be made to the Central High School Foundation, 1823 Harney St., Suite 203, Omaha, NE 68102-1913; Yale University, P.O. Box 208214, New Haven, CT 06520-8214; or the Guttmacher Institute, 125 Maiden Ln., Seventh Floor, New York, NY 10038. Cory will be missed deeply by his family, his friends, and his colleagues.