Barron August Richmond

JEFFERSON - U.S.A.F. Retired Lt. Colonel Barron A. Richmond of Houston, a WWII hero and wonderful family man, passed away on December 28, 2008. Col. Richmond served as a bomber pilot in WWII, as a member of the 20th Air Force, 6th Bomb Group, 313 Wing, 39th Squadron after training pilots in Montgomery, AL, as a flight instructor. He piloted the Cultured Vulture (B-29) 35 missions over Japan, out of Tinian, a small island in the Pacific, before returning to the U.S. in October 1945. He was in the Army Air Force motion picture, "Target Tokyo," narrated by Ronald Reagan, which was shown in theaters around the country during war time. He continued to fly strategic military missions while stationed in Alaska during the Cold War of the 1950s. He retired from the USAF after 25 years of distinguished and heroic service in 1964. After his military retirement he was appointed by the Governor of the State of Colorado to the post of Director of Emergency Services and moved to Denver, Colorado. In 1967 he assumed the position of Personnel Director of the Veteran's Hospital in Muskogee, OK, and later on as Personnel Director of the VA hospital in Houston, TX, retiring in 1986.

Born in Harmon, Louisiana December 11, 1921, and raised in the Jefferson area, BA (as he was known by his friends) graduated from Jefferson High School before joining the armed forces. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 52 years, Mary Kathryn; parents, Barron and Eva; three brothers, Floyd, A.L. and Tony; and three sisters, Jane Williams, Mable Richmond and Joy Williams.

He is survived by his four brothers, George, Gordon, Garland and Gerald; three children, David and his wife Judy of Denver, James and his wife Kathie of Houston, and Kathryn (Kelley) and her husband Bob and their three children Christopher, Jonathan and Kathryn, all from Minneapolis.

BA believed there was a right and there was a wrong, and he never expected less of himself than to do the right thing, even if it was the more difficult of the choices. He loved his country and was prepared to make sacrifices so that we could remain free. Dad was a kind man who always showed concern for everyone around him. This, along with his integrity and honesty, was the real "magic" that he sprinkled on our lives. That magic will live on in his children as they celebrate the privilege of having such a tremendous father; in his grandchildren as their hero and now also their angel, and all those who knew and loved him will remember him as a person of character. His family meant everything to him, and he was a devoted husband and father. BA will be dearly missed by his family and his many, many friends.

Visitation will be 6-8 pm Thursday, January 1, and services are at 1p.m. on Friday, January 2, 2009 at Haggard Funeral Home in Jefferson, Texas. Interment will follow at Old Foundry Cemetery near Lodi, Texas under the direction of Haggard Funeral Home.

A memorial guestbook may be signed at www.haggardfuneralhome.com