John Glover Richarson's Obituary
November 1st, 1933, to October 29th, 2024
Age 90
John was born in Nowata, Oklahoma on November 1st, 1933, to John and Lola Richardson. They moved to the Chicago, Illinois area where John and his twin sisters Jane and Carol grew up.
After graduating high school, John joined the Air Force in 1953, where he was stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio as an aircraft mechanic. It was there that he met Joyce Johnson of Grand Ledge, Michigan, and they fell in love. After discharge from the Airforce in June 1957, John and Joyce were married on June 29, 1957, in Grand Ledge, Michigan.
During their early years, John attended Michigan State University while Joyce worked and later took care of their children. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. James (Jim) was born on Dec 7th, 1958, and Karen on Sept 30th, 1960. Following his college graduation, they relocated to Iowa where John worked for National Cash Register.
They later relocated to New York where John worked for IBM then for Xerox where he worked on developing software for the first color copiers. In 1973 Xerox transferred the family to their longtime home in Plano, Texas.
After leaving Xerox, John worked for Texas Instruments designing software for aircraft anti-collision systems. Near the end of his career, he worked for several small companies before retiring in the late 1990s.
Throughout their time in Plano, John and his wife were active members of First United Methodist Church of Richardson and were long time choir members. In the choir, John was a frequent soloist. During their tenure with the choir, they performed on several recordings, including an album with Sandy Pattie, and performed at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
John is survived by Joyce, his wife of 67 years and his twin sisters, Jane Kenney and Carol Pitts (Jerry) of Illinois.
He is also survived by his son Jim (Ann) of Cedar Park, Texas, their children Elise Brooks (James), Andrew Richardson (Dawn), Tasha Richardson and Allison Richardson, and 4 great grandchildren plus 3 step great grandchildren.
Also, his daughter Karen Melaun of Plano, Texas, her children Taylor Melaun (Natalie) and Jessica Bartlett (Ben), 2 great grandchildren and 3 step great grandchildren.
John was predeceased by his parents, Lola and John Richardson, and his son- in- law, Greg Melaun.
John was a warm and loving man and a great and involved Papa to his grandchildren and great grandchildren. His wonderful sense of humor will be greatly missed by his family. Since retirement, John was a voracious reader, lover of science fiction, and a longtime fan of aviation and aerospace.
The family would like to thank the wonderful caregivers at Brookside Creekside Memory Care for their care and compassion with John and continued care of Joyce. They have been a true blessing.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Richardson Music Ministry at www.fumcr.com/giving_honorary.
There will be visitation for family and friends on November 12th, 2024, from 10:30am to 11:30am. John will be interred at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Veterans Cemetery at 1:00pm on November 12th, 2024, with full military honors.
What’s your fondest memory of John?
What’s a lesson you learned from John?
Share a story where John's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with John you’ll never forget.
How did John make you smile?