CORDELIA RICHARDS

CORDELIA BYRD RUFFIN RICHARDS  
Cordelia Byrd Ruffin Richards "Cordy" of Annapolis, Maryland, died on January 16, 2019, at her place of residence at Ginger Cove in Annapolis. She was 89 years of age, born in Norfolk, Virginia, on May 28, 1929. She was the daughter of Edmund S. Ruffin, Jr., and Jeannie Brooke Ruffin of Virginia Beach, VA and Norfolk, VA and was preceded in death by her husband, William W. Richards, the two having enjoyed years of a happy marriage in Annapolis. Cordy grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was a graduate of Chatham Hall School and Smith College. She worked the majority of her professional life as a journalist based in Washington, DC and Annapolis. She was on the editorial staff of the Washington Daily News, the Annapolis Evening Capital and the Ship Mate Magazine of the United States Naval Academy. Cordy loved books and music. She was a member of several book clubs and sang with a beautiful alto voice in the Annapolis Chorale and a singing group at Ginger Cove. She was a long time member of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Annapolis where she frequently read the lesson at the Sunday services. Cordy's friends and family will remember her for her grace, her charm, her gentle manner, her genuine kindness and her infectious smile. She is survived by her step-daughter, Lucie Jay, and step-grand-daughter, Alida Jay, of Palo Alto, California, her sister, Jean R. Lilly of Virginia Beach, Virginia, her brother, Edmund S. Ruffin III, of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, her nephew, Edmund M. Ruffin, of Baltimore, Maryland, her two nieces, Katherine R. Porterfield, of Annapolis, Maryland, and Cordelia Brooke Lovett, of Duxbury, Massachusetts, and nine grand nephews and nieces. A memorial Service will be held at Ginger Cove, 4000 River Crescent Rd., Annapolis, MD, 21401, at 3 p.m. on Monday, February 11, 2019. In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested contributions to St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, 1601 Pleasant Plains Rd., Annapolis, MD 21409, or Live Arts Maryland, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Room 202, 801 Chase St., Annapolis, MD 21401.