Richard E. Townsend Sr.

Richard Townsend Obituary

TOWNSEND Richard E. "Dick" Townsend, Sr., age 85, of Powell, died Saturday, March 18, 2006 at Riverside Methodist Hospital surrounded by his loving family. Born in Springfield, OH, he grew up in the Price Hill section of Cincinnati and was a graduate of Western Hills Vocational School. A decorated Captain of the United States Army, WWII, Dick received The Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart as a member of Company F, 337th Infantry Regiment, 85th Division and served in the Rome-Arno, North Appenines and Po Valley theaters. After the war he married his beloved wife, Virginia Bayer Townsend of Cincinnati. Dick retired from Graybar Electrical Company after 25 years of service. An avid golfer, he retired to Fort Pierce, FL and later relocated to Powell in 2004. He was raised a Master Mason August 5, 1953 and was a member of Dougherty Lodge #591, F&AM, Albany, GA and was a 32nd Degree Mason, Valley of Charleston. Dick is survived by his wife of 59 years, Virginia. He is the father of six children, Richard E. (Patti) Townsend, Jr. of Catlett, VA, Teresa (William) Grossman of Columbus, Russell J. (Marianne) Townsend of Powell, Thomas T. (Michele) Townsend of Richardson, TX, Robert L. (Jenny) Townsend of Upper Arlington, James F. (Wendi) Townsend of Powell. Grandfather to, Karan (Sean) Ireland, Brian Grossman, Angela Grossman, TJ Townsend, Wes (Chiyon) Townsend, Jacki (Jason) Daniels, Jodi (Michael) Robertson, Jeffrey J. Nein, Peter Townsend, Rozlie Townsend, Sydney Townsend, Katie Townsend and Abby Townsend; great grandfather to, Dylan and Genevieve Ireland; and brother to, Marjorie Wilson of Columbus. Family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, 2006 at RUTHERFORD FUNERAL HOME AT POWELL, 450 West Olentangy St., Powell (614) 792-1471. (Funeral home is on Olentangy St./SR 750/Powell Rd. 1/4 mile east of Sawmill Parkway.) Private family services were observed. Burial Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, DC.

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Published by The Columbus Dispatch from Mar. 20 to Mar. 21, 2006.

Memories and Condolences
for Richard Townsend

4 Entries

Steve Hawley

March 21, 2006

To the Townsends,

I want to express my sympathies at the loss of your father. When we were in school your house was always a warm and

friendly place to visit. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Leslie Scott

March 21, 2006

Dear Townsend family,

We send our sympathy and condolences to your family. Wendi and Jim are very dear to our family, as Wendi's mom and my mother(Jean Austin) are sisters. In this time of grief, we are praying for you to draw close to the Lord and know His love for you and for your family. Jim is also a very special person to our family and so we especially pray for him to be able to know God cares for him in this time of grieving. We pray for your strength to walk through this time and to be able to lean on each other, sharing memories and the family love you have for each other.

Thinking of all the Townsends,

Bill, Leslie, Ben, Tom and Molly Scott

Robert Townsend

March 20, 2006

I don't have a memory of my father without including my mother. The fondest memory that I have of my Dad and Mom was created at my father's passing March, 18 2006. I watched my mother say goodbye to my father one last time. In her goodbye, I learned yet another lesson from them that is a lesson they have been teaching me all their lives. The powerful bonds of love and marriage they share. Nothing will ever have the impact on me emotionally as seeing my mother lean over my father, caress his neck and face with the tenderness of an angel, and tell him how much she loves him and always will. I was privy to something I will see and understand once in my life; A final goodbye from my Mom to my Dad after 59 years of marriage. The devotion of my parents to each other and their children is devotion I can only strive to attain.

I love you Mom & Dad

Bob

Deby Thompson

March 20, 2006

I spent a great deal of time at the Townsend home while I was growning up. Teresa was like a sister and Mr. and Mrs. Townsend treated me like the rest of the kids. I told Teresa that my favorite memory of her dad happened in the 70's while we were visiting them in Columbus. Mr. Townsend realized that he didn't have any mayonnaise for the party that evening so he found a cookbook and made the mayo himself. I was so impressed!