William Lee Richards |
| Posted 2008-11-08 by Sharon |
| The Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, AZ May 31, 1945, p. 1 W. L. Richard Benefactor to Many, Passes Long Illness Claims Well Known Citizen and Business Leader “No one in Wickenburg ever went hungry during the depression — not if Mr. Richards could help it.” This statement, repeated time and again, was heard by this newspaper Tuesday as word spread around the city of the death of William L. Richards which had occurred at 1 o’clock in the morning at his residence on Jefferson street. Tributes to his friendliness, his generosity and his caliber as a good citizen by those who knew him best as well as by casual acquaintances. Death came to Mr. Richards at the age of 76, after a prolonged illness. He had been slowly failing since suffering a stroke a year ago last August but had not been confined to his bed until within recent weeks. A pioneer resident and businessman of the state, Mr. Richards came to Arizona in 1902 and had been active and prominent in the business and civil life of the state from that time until his retirement a few years ago. Born on a farm near Jasper, Tenn., on October 20, 1868, his mother died when he was 12 and he was virtually head of the family from the time he was 15 years old. He was married to Ollie Pryor on January 19, 1892 and five years later moved to the vicinity of Weatherford, Texas, where he farmed for some nine years, moving to Arizona and locating in Prescott in December 1902. His first employment there was as driver of the delivery wagon for T. W. Otis, pioneer merchant of the Yavapai county seat. Within three years Mr. Richard was managing the Otis store. Brought Grocery - In 1905 he, with his brother, Tom bought a small grocery store in Prescott which they operated un the name of Richards Brothers. By 1920, it has become the largest retail grocery in Prescott. The brothers disposed of the business in that year and in March 1922. Mr. Richards came to Wickenburg, buying control of the Brayton Commercial company here. He resided in Wickenburg almost continuously since then, with the exception of the past year spent in Phoenix. He and Mrs. Richards returned here to make their home a few weeks ago. On January 1, 1939, having passed the ago of 70, Mr. Richards retired as active manager of Brayton’s, turning the management over to his son, Roy L. Richards who continues in the capacity today. The senior Mr. Richards maintained his interest in the store here and continued, indirectly, his connection with the business up until the time of his death. While a resided of Prescott Mr. Richards served as a member of the school board for nearly eight years and was on the city council for four years. In Wickenburg, he also served for a time on the school board and was a member of the city council eight years. He was a member of Hassayampa Lodge of the Masonic Order and of the Presbyterian church here. Six Children Survive - In addition to the widow, all six of the children survive, as well as five grandchildren and one great-grandson. The surviving children are the oldest son, Roy L.; Tom, manager of Brayton’s store at Bagdad, and Lieut. John M., stationed at Davis Monthan Field, Tucson. The daughters are Mrs. W. F. Penny of San Francisco; Mrs. Hugh Antrim of Phoenix, and Mrs. Jerry Danielson of Minneapolis, Minn. His brother, Tom of Prescott, also survives. Funeral services were to be held Thursday afternoon at 3 o’clock from the Wickenburg chapel, conducted by Rev. B. Ross Cleeland of the Presbyterian Church, with burial in the Wickenburg cemetery. See Also: Find a Grave |
Note: These obituaries are transcribed as published and are submitted by volunteers who have no connection to the families. They do not write the obituaries and have no further information other than what is posted within the obituaries. We do not do personal research. For this you would have to find a volunteer who does this or hire a professional researcher.
Questions About This Project?