Eric Richardson

Eric Richardson, of Columbia, died June 5, 2009. He was 22.

Mr. Richardson was born in Melbourne, Fla., April 24, 1987.

Extremely bright and gifted, family members said, he was a delight to be around in his early elementary school years in Springville, Iowa. In 1998 he chose to be home-schooled when the family moved to Ames, Iowa.

He always enjoyed Ames -- the small-town feel of a mid-Iowa town contrasted with the busier pace and opportunities available when living close to a nationally recognized academic facility, Iowa State University.

Mr. Richardson was a member of the Iowa Chapter of the Civil Air Patrol, and distinguished himself by 'thinking outside the box' on numerous occasions, family members said. In one incident, after identifying a believed-to-be downed helicopter, he determined that the "wreckage" was actually mounted on the back of a flatbed tractor-trailer travelling down Iowa's Interstate 80, and alerted state police to pull the rig over and turn off the emergency locator beacon.

In one other "hound and hare" search and rescue exercise, Mr. Richardson, a hound, flushed the hare, a senior leader, out of the woods by dialing the leader's cell phone number and listening for the guy's distinctive ring tone.

The family moved from Iowa to Columbia after Sept. 11, 2001. At various points after this time, he attended the Randolph-Macon Academy, in Front Royal, Va., trained as an outdoor firefighter in Alaska and an EMT technician in Maryland.

Recently he had completed two welding courses from Anne Arundel Community College to earn a state welding certification, and was recently employed as a welder at TECO Industries, in Baltimore.

Mr. Richardson is survived by his parents, Thomas and Dana Richardson, of Columbia; a sister, Milana Richardson, of San Francisco; and many aunts and uncles in Virginia, California, Florida, and the Midwest; as well as cousins and second cousins.

A memorial service was held at the Linden Linthicum United Methodist Church, in Clarksville, June 13, 2009.

user comments (2)

user alexnpax says...

Eric sweetie, you will always be loved and you will always be missed. Love Aunt Elena & Alex

Posted 10:51 PM, 06.18.09 | Permalink

user twrichar says...

yes, we will miss you always. A memorial site has been set up for Eric at: http://ericrichardson.shutterfly.com

Posted 7:51 AM, 07.12.09 | Permalink