Elizabeth Louise Richardson

We mourn the passing of Elizabeth Louise Richardson, teacher and world traveler, who passed away peacefully on September 10th in Sherwood, Oregon, after a long, loving and memorable life of 94 years. She had moved to assisted living at The Springs in Sherwood just over a year ago, after a lifetime in Santa Rosa, California. Elizabeth was predeceased by her parents, Alexander and Elizabeth Ananiantz and her beloved husband, Paul Yerby Richardson (1974). Elizabeth was the loving sister of Rosemary Dougan. She was the cherished mother of Janet Elizabeth Urton (Ted) and Teresa Ann Dance (Maurice). Elizabeth, known as “Mimi” to her eleven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, was always happy to read a story or show them pictures and memorabilia from her travels. She was very proud of all of her offspring and will be fondly remembered by them, as well as by her many nieces and nephews. Born May 20, 1922, Elizabeth was raised on Second Street in Santa Rosa, with a big backyard that bordered Santa Rosa Creek where she and her sister, along with neighborhood children played “cops & robbers” and “cowboys and Indians” for hours. Even as a child, Elizabeth was adventurous and independent, often wearing pants and a short “boy” haircut when that was definitely not the norm. Her love of adventure continued all her life as she traveled to far flung places—from Timbuktu to the Great Wall of China and many places in-between. Altogether she visited more than 110 countries, first with her husband, Paul, until his death, then often on her own or with a travel partner, Gordon MacDonald. She rode on a camel’s back in Mali and on a donkey cart in Mongolia. She hiked the Inca trail around Macchu Picchu, rowed down the Ganges River in a dugout, and witnessed countless ceremonies anddances on every continent except Antarctica. All along the way she met and befriended many wonderful people. To her that was the true joy of her travels. Elizabeth graduated from Santa Rosa High School, attended Santa Rosa Junior College for a while, then went off to San Luis Obispo to marry a handsome soldier she had met while stationed in Santa Rosa. When Paul went to fight in the Pacific, she worked at Mare Island. At that time, she began to meet regularly with girlfriends – some whom she grew up with – whose husbands were also off to war. They called themselves “The Perfect Husbands Club” which, in later years became “Bridge Club.” Remarkably, their club has endured even to this day with the remaining members still meeting together each month. After the war, Elizabeth and Paul settled in Santa Rosa to raise their family. Later, when her girls were in school, she went back to college and was a member of the first graduating class from CSU Sonoma State in 1961, where she obtained a teaching credential. From that point, she began teaching which was one of the passions of her life. She taught school her first year at Penngrove Elementary and then was hired by Oak Grove School district where she taught for about 30 years until her retirement. Although retired, she was not ready to stop teaching, so became the homeschool liaison for that district, tutoring students and helping parents, passing on her zeal for learning for another 20 years. While a teacher, Elizabeth began pursuing her other great love, which was to travel and learn about other places and people. This began with camping trips all over the United States, with Paul and the girls--visiting museums, monuments and whatever art/cultural event she could locate. Later her travel extended to visiting countries around the world. While a teacher,Elizabeth was also involved in other pursuits. She and travel partner, Gordon Macdonald, saw a need and created a new business: River Plumbing and Electrical in Guerneville, servicing builders and handymen who otherwise had to travel into Santa Rosa for needed supplies. At the same time, they also began to purchase, remodel and rent or sell all types of properties in West Sonoma County. Together they enjoyed becoming part of the area's business community and acquainting themselves with the locals. But through all of this her greatest love continued to be travel. Late in life, she wrote a book called Travel Letters about some of her adventures which she loved sharing with her caregivers and visitors during the last months of her life. She truly enjoyedart and music, which was reflected in the items she brought back with her to share in her classroom and with her family. One of the collections she was most proud of was a collection of masks from around the world. Her children, and especially grandchildren, all have vivid memories of visiting “Mimi” and sitting or lying beneath those masks, telling stories to each other about them. That collection has been donated to Santa Rosa Junior College and can be seen in their campus museum. Elizabeth was a strong and independent woman. Although she developed Parkinson’s disease about 24 years ago, she never let it keep her from teaching or travel, or much of anything she wanted to do. This is, perhaps, one of the greatest gifts she passed onto her children and grandchildren: her quiet sense of can-do determination, which has been and will continue to be evidenced through their lives. Elizabeth will be missed, but her spirit continues to live in the hearts of those who love her. A memorial service will be held for her on November 12 at 2:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Rosa, CA. In honor of her love of reading and of help to others, donations in Elizabeth’s name would be appreciated for: http://freebookmobile.org/

Elizabeth Louise Richardson

May 20, 1922 - September 10, 2016