Ernest Truett Richardson

Ernest "Ernie" Truett Richardson, Jr. passed away unexpectedly at the age of 79 on May 26, 2025, in Houston, Texas.
Left to cherish Ernie's legacy are his wife of 21 years, Wanda Drew Richardson, his son, Joseph Richardson (Scarlett), stepson Chad Howard (Kelly), and stepdaughter, Jayna Danos. His brother Carl Richardson (Becky), sister Barbara Bishop (Gary), and sisters in law, Patricia Breaux, and Joanne Murphey (Ted). Grandchildren; Tanner Danos, Tye Danos, Hannah Blackwell (Austin), and Leah Howard, and great-granddaughter Isla Blackwell, and a host of adoring nieces and nephews. Ernie was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Amanda, his daughter Jimi, and his first wife, Nelwyn.
Ernie was born on September 15, 1945, to Ernest Truett and Amanda Trahan Richardson in Houston, Texas. As a young child his parents migrated to Berwick, Louisiana following the oil boom, and this is where Ernie began to chart the course that would define his extraordinary life. He attended Berwick High School (Class of 1964), where he was a standout athlete, competing in football and track and field in discus and the mile relay. He was awarded 1st team All-District Tight End twice, and 2nd team All-State his senior year. This earned him many full ride scholarship offers from prestigious football programs across the nation, but he ultimately decided to accept an offer from Rice University. In one of his proudest moments, "Big Ern" was inducted into the Berwick High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023. And in his words "I will FOREVER remain a proud BHS Panther".
Ernie married his first love, Nelwyn Cortez in 1966, and together they had 2 children, daughter Jimi, and son, Joseph. Upon his graduation from Rice with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration in 1969. he began his career with Brown and Root, Inc. where he travelled the world (64 Countries) managing the business aspects of domestic and international construction projects in diverse industries. In 1996, he took a position with Zachry Construction and KBR managing construction of highway and bridges in the US, and US Embassies around the world, many of which were classified as "Top Secret". Tragically, he unexpectedly lost Nelwyn in 2002 and charted a new course.
In 2003, as the Zachry Business Director for the Civil Division, he was instrumental in securing and managing the business aspects for the construction of the new United States Embassy in Beijing, China, the largest project ever built by the U.S. State Department on foreign soil.
In 2004, a second great love was realized when he reconnected with, and married, Wanda (BHS Class of 1968). He and Wanda went on to travel the world for work and pleasure, and resided for six years in Cartegena, Colombia, where he was the Director of Contracts for a multi-billion-dollar oil refinery for the Colombian government. Erine would like to say, "I am a lucky man, I have had 2 great loves in my life".
Ernie would ultimately retire in 2014 and move back to Houston with Wanda. Despite all his many accomplishments his greatest pride was his family. He relished the time spent with them. Ernie and Wanda created a masterpiece of a camp in the little bayou hamlet of Stephensville, Louisiana. "Camp By-U Side" became a place where they spent much time in the company of family and friends, and he got to enjoy his favorite past times of fishing and cooking. Always a storyteller and prankster, he was a man of great intelligence, honesty, integrity and kindness and faith. Ernie never met a stranger. He was welcoming to everyone, and he always had quite the tales to tell. He was quite simply a giant among men.
Klein Funeral Home - Champions