Mrs. Mary Richards died peacefully on September 15 in Oakdale, California at the age of 87.

Mary is survived by her son Barry Richards and his wife Virginia of Raymond, CA, her grandchildren Jon Richards and Vince Richards of Fresno, CA, her granddaughter Anjie Park and husband Andrew Moore of Santa Barbara, CA, her granddaughter Michele Bettiga and husband James of Stephenville, Texas, 12 great-grandchildren, and several great-great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband Mike Richards, and her youngest son Greg Richards, who passed away one year ago in Oakdale.

Mary was born on December 2, 1930 in Anadarko, OK to Elree and Rose Hicks, the only living daughter of four children. The family headed west during the dust bowl and settled in the Irvington/Fremont area. Mary married the love of her life at age 16 and had two sons whom they raised with a lot of love. After moving to the Escalon, Oakdale, and Sonora areas, Mike retired from Pacific States Steel and the couple opened Time Real Estate and Apex Appraisal in Oakdale.

Mary was a long time member of Sierra Foothills Community Church and will be remembered in her later years for careening around town on her red scooter with her red hat. The family would like to thank the community of Oakdale for the extraordinary neighborliness shown to our Nanny over the years, in particular the service teams at her church, her longtime friends and neighbors, the skilled and gracious staff at Graceful Living Assisted Living, Optimal Hospice, and the amazingly kind team at Starbucks who showered Nanny with love over the years, even when she gave them a hard time!

A memorial is scheduled on October 10 at 10 a.m. at Sierra Foothills Community Church at 1040 W. F St. in Oakdale with a reception to follow. Pastor Henry Raven will officiate the ceremony and all are welcome. She will be laid to rest privately at the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery with her husband of 54 years.

The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader

Oct. 3, 2018