Nancy Richards

Richards, Nancy Nancy Richards died on October 12, 2012, at the sinfully young age of 71. She was born Nancy Joan Walkup, May 4, 1941, and grew up on West Sunny- slope, in Edina, the younger sister of Bunnie Herrick, daughter of Helen and Bob Walkup: a place and home that forever determined the gracious manner with which she entered the world. She spent her summers swimming in Theodore Wirth Lake with the Aqua Follies, or else floating down Minnehaha Creek, which ran through her backyard. She met the love of her life, Freddie Richards, across the street from the creek, at the old Wooddale Grade School. Fred promised himself to Nancy at their high school graduation, yet she flew away to Colorado Women's College with her best friend, Janet Crist. Then again, Nancy moved to Salt Lake City, taking a job as a stewardess for Western Airlines, occasionally nibbling off passengers' shrimp cocktail, though never enough to cause her to exceed the airline's strict guidelines for height to weight ratios; instead, it was Fred's marriage proposal in 1963 that banished Nancy from the merciless industry. Back in Minneapolis, Nancy took a job at Mazey's Flower Shop, using her wages to finance Fred's law degree. They returned to Edina, and eventually brought three children into the world: Fritz, Katie and Tory. Nancy went to work teaching them - and countless others - how to laugh, when to hold on and when to let go, and how to ski, often leading a caravan of station wagons through the never-ending darkness of a still Nebraska night and into the Rocky Mountains so that her kids could ski Aspen, before it was Aspen. Nancy was famous for her positivity and genuine kindness, especially upon her return to the airline industry. Nancy was so well-thought of at Sun Country Airlines that she returned after her initial retirement, this time as the company's random drug tester, because, they reasoned, "nobody can get angry with Nancy." The same was true of her relationship with her children's spouses, Ilrid, Mike and AJ, whose unconditional love for her children often left her in awe. Nancy spent the balance of her time walking around the lake with her beloveds, or else in Florida, taking care of Freddie, making friends with the Quarry (and everyone they met along the way), and insuring that her grandchildren - Tommy, Charlotte, Wyatt, Gavin, Atticus and Oliver - grew into expert swimmers, capable of joining her on the still-sweet waters of Minnehaha Creek. Though many will argue, Nancy was not perfect; perfect was how she saw the world. For this reason, she died with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for every person and place that made her life so meaningful - aren't we lucky. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, October 17, at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 4439 West 50th Street, Edina, Minnesota 55424, at 11:00 AM to honor and celebrate Nancy's life. A gathering will immediately follow the service at Edina Country Club. Memorials may be directed to the Evans Scholars Minnesota Chapter, c/o Western Golf Association, 1 Briar Road, Golf, Illinois 60029, or the Piper Cancer Clinic at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Piper Building, 913 E. 26th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407. www.Washburn-McReavy.com Edina Chapel 952-920-3996