Anne Richards

Anne Elizabeth Richards, nee Sohland, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, died on December 7, 2020. She was 81 years old.

The only child of Leroy and Kathryn Sohland, she was born on April 19, 1939, in Springfield, Pa.

After graduating from Lower Merion High School, she attended Shippensburg University and received her degree in secondary education, specializing in English and speech, in 1960. During her senior year in high school, she met Elton P. Richards, a seminarian assigned to her family church, St. Paul's Lutheran in Ardmore, Pa. The two married in 1962 and settled in Levittown, Pa., where Mrs. Richards began her teaching career.

With their two sons, they moved in 1968 to Reading, Pa., where Pastor Richards led the congregation at Trinity Lutheran Church for 20 years. The first pastor's wife in that church's history to work outside the home, Mrs. Richards taught English at Southern and Governor Mifflin Junior High Schools. After receiving her master's degree from Kutztown University, she became a guidance counselor at Governor Mifflin and continued in that capacity at Lincoln High School and Central Academy when the couple moved to Des Moines, Ia., in 1989—all while actively engaged in parish life wherever she went, from singing in the choir and ringing in the bell choir to teaching Sunday school and participating in Stephen Ministry, a program of lay leadership, support, and caregiving within the church community. The couple resided briefly in State College, Pa., and then returned to Berks County in retirement.

Mrs. Richards, a bridge player and lover of puzzles and needlework, especially enjoyed summers at Paradise Falls in the Pocono Mountains, surrounded by family and friends. In addition to her loving husband of nearly 60 years, she is survived by sons Elton Russell "Russ" Richards of Wyomissing, Pa., and David Richards (Shannon Barr) of New York, NY; two adoring granddaughters, and numerous nephews and nieces.

In recognition of her career as a teacher and counselor, a designated fund for the education, training, and support of caregivers involved in dementia care will be established in her honor. Contributions may be sent to The Highlands at Wyomissing, 2000 Cambridge Ave., Wyomissing, Pa., 19610. A memorial service will be held at a later date. The Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home is honored to assist the Richards family in arrangements, and condolences may be expressed at https://www.kuhnfuneralhomes.com/.