In Memory of my Daddy ~ John N. Richardson 6/24

My Mom and Dad met through her best friend, his sister, when they came up from North Carolina to live in NJ. He was born in West Virginia, but his growing up memories are in Durham, North Carolina. He often talked about his childhood in Durham, and made a trip back with my Mom after he retired to see his boyhood home and the places he loved to talk about.

Mom and Dad were engaged when she was in High School, before he left for the Army, and ultimately Korea.

Dad was in Korea during the Korean war and while there, became quite ill with an infection. While treating him, a secret that he kept was revealed, he was an epileptic. Dad was honorably discharged for health reasons, and sent home. As a result, he missed the great battle in Seoul, Korea, in which every one of his comrads were killed. His life was spared. Dad never liked to speak much about his days in the military.

Mom and Dad had a beautiful church wedding on June 4, 1947, Mom was 19, and Dad, 23.

I was their first child, born 4 years later, after they had settled into their first home in Nixon/Edison, New Jersey.

During my growing up years, Dad was not home a lot in the evenings...he worked very hard for the same company all of his life during the day, and went to college evenings for 10 years. He worked in the aeronautics division of his company as an electrical engineer during great moments in the history of the space program, and was involved in designing some of the mechanics for the Viking mission, and other space missions. He was honored with awards for his inventions and work, but was a humble man, so didn't go on about these things much.

I remember watching my Dad work so hard on an addition to their little home in Nixon/Edison, New Jersey, he is holding my sister, 8 years younger than me, in the picture above. This garage was just part of the project, there was also a back room. I would watch as he lay the bricks, whistling as he worked.

John & Joan Richardson at my sister's wedding, Dad passed away on her 9th anniversary.

The picture above was taken at my Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary, and is a heart-warming picture. During the 5 years that my Dad was taken from us bit by bit with small strokes, this picture sat on a dresser in their bedroom. I remember so clearly sitting by the bedside one warm, summer day. Dad was bedridden, and had finally settled into a quiet sleep. The wind was gently blowing the lacey curtains. And I looked over at the picture above, and thought, the relationships that God gives us are a gift for a time, they are wonderful, hard at times, but always special, and are something to be treasured during our time here on earth.

A few years after their 50th anniversary, Dad suffered the first of a series of small strokes. After about 5 challenging years, God freed him from his body, a moment I'll never forget, and now he is in the presence of our Lord, and so many family members and friends who have gone before. For that we are so thankful, and for the assurance that we will see him again!!

A little something I noticed recently, the significance of the date, the 19th. Dad was born on September 19th, died on October 19th, my sister's wedding anniversary is October 19th, 9 years before Dad's passing, and my own daughter was married on June 19th. It might be meaningless, but was an interesting bit of trivia.