Leoria Richard

LEORIA RICHARD

A Life Lived in the Light

Our mom, Leoria Richard, lived her life in the light. The light of her faith. The light of positivity. The light of love.

Born on April 5, 1925, in Pike County, Mississippi, to Roy and Ethel Nichols, our mother was the third of 13 children. For many years, her family worked incredibly hard as sharecroppers until they were finally able to purchase a farm. Her light helped them through. It also helped her to graduate as valedictorian of her high school class.

Mom and Dad married in 1947. Through their love, they had five children – Gwendolyn, Cassandra, Levi Jr., Larry, and Dwight Edward, who passed before Mom did. Again, the light of her faith helped her endure the loss until she and Dwight could be together once again.

Our mother's faith and love for God were reflected in her daily life. In 1965, when our family moved from Los Angeles to Baldwin Park, she joined the Baldwin Park First Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday school and visited those in need. Later on, she became a long-time member of the Faith Community Church in West Covina, where she shared the power of her faith by praying for and helping the needy and serving in the messenger ministry. She also served the community as a member of the Democratic Club, the Lioness Club, and the Women's Club.

If you knew our mom, you knew about her famous notebook filled with phone numbers. She would regularly call her family and friends to find out how they were doing, and she would often pray for someone while they were on the phone together.

She shared her light with all who needed it and truly made a difference in their lives.
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Mom gave strength to many through her faith and her belief in the goodness of people. She was dearly loved in the neighborhood and known as a praying woman who assisted anyone who needed the light of her love. She was constantly reading her Bible. She read it throughout the day. She read it while in bed. She even read it while watching television. She brought positivity to those she touched by describing how specific verses applied to their lives.

One of our favorite memories of our mother was of her constantly humming a tune. Depending upon her hum, we could always tell her mood. Almost always, it was one of joy. She was an encourager and would never complain. Whenever you would ask her how she was doing, she would always say, "I'm fine. How about you?"

Our mother was beloved by all who knew her. She was the light of our family, and our hearts break as we think of going on without her here. We are comforted in knowing that she is looking down at us right now, pouring her positivity, her love, and her faith over us all. And as she did in life, she will continue to give us strength, comfort, and guidance now that she is in God's hands.

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Leoria Richard is survived by her husband, Levi Richard; her children Gwendolyn, Cassandra, Levi Jr., and Larry; ten grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and seven siblings – Hazel Byrd, Minnie Lee Magee, Nerciel Coney, Claude Nichols, Sinclair Nichols, Willie J. Nichols, and Myrtis Lee Williams.