Howard Richards

He was, and now he isn't,

That is how Howard Richards wanted that to be his epitaph says very much about the man who passed away on September 1, 2019 at age 86.

To his friends, and there are many, he was always "Howie". He possessed at "flare for the dramatic" he was told at St. Peter's School on his beloved North Side of Stevens Point, the place he called home for all of his 86 years.

Howie was born April 8, 1933 in Stevens Point. He lived nearly all his life in the house he was raised in, a residence cherished and nurtured after his mother Julia (Powerski) Richards Smith, passed away in 1973. His father, George H. Richards, preceded Julia in death in 1953. He carried the tales of the days when he was the Sixth Man for the Weltman's Rockets, pounding the hardwood for the team sponsored by the grocer that was once located downtown. Howie never missed a Green Bay Packer game, he was a devoted follower of the Badgers basketball and football teams, passing those passions along to his son Chris (and then to his grandsons Josepha and Nicholas), but they would never inherit Howie's love for the New York Yankees. Married twice, the second time to Betty Rasmussen for 21 years before she passed in 1999. Howie always had a quip, a jab, or a story ready when making his rounds around town, especially when he encountered buddies from the 42 years he served as Consolidated Papers, working the company's Off Machine Coater. Before the ravages of age slowed him down, he was a regular at Michelle's for Friday Fish, where he had been known to enjoy a martini or Manhattan. At one time he might have added a Kent cigarette with those beverages, just a beloved Rat Pack did in Vegas back in the day, but not so in later years. As a young man, he zipped up the Wisconsin River in his roundabout "Gina", perhaps leaving untold mischief in his wake. However, at his core he could be a man of iron will and firm values, and those are the ones that made him a dependable partner, parent and employee. Certainly, he was, and sadly, he is no more. But just assuredly, Howie will be missed by many.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 A.M. Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at St. Peters Catholic Church. Rev. Arul Joseph Visuvasam officiating. Burial will follow in the Guardian Angel Cemetery. Family and friends may call from 9:30 A.M. Tuesday at the St. Faustina room of St. Peters Church until the time for mass.

The Pisarski Funeral Home is honored to be serving the family. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.pisarskifuneralhome.com