Obituary of Evelyn Richardson

Evelyn (Mohr) Richardson (Evie), 82, of Hilton Head Island, passed away February 5th, 2021. She leaves behind her husband of 61 years, Robert (Bob) Richardson, whom she had met on a blind date and married five years later, neither of them dating anyone else after that night. Also surviving are their three children: Robert Richardson, Jr. (and his wife Marisa Perales), of Austin TX; Kerry Richardson (and her husband Steven Ciampaglia), of Cleveland Heights OH, and Kristen Richardson (and her husband Roberto Dizon), of Somerville MA. A very special grandson, Luca Ciampaglia, a freshman at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, also survives her. She was predeceased by her parents, Ida and Leo Mohr, and her sister, Susan Odell. Additional survivors include her sister’s children, Jennifer and Christopher Odell; her brother-in-law, H. Ronald Richardson (and his wife, Alke); another niece, Lynne Irvin, and nephews Kenneth, Glen and Craig Richardson. Evie was born in Karlsbad, Czechoslovakia, a spa town dating back to the 14th century and now known as Karlovy Vary, in the Czech Republic. She emigrated to the U.S. as war clouds gathered in Europe, a four-month- old baby making the long voyage with her parents, and the family dachshund, as well as several crates of delicate china from her grandfather’s porcelain factory in Czechoslovakia (much of it, unfortunately, broken en route). Her mother, clad in a full-length leopard skin coat with matching hat, baby in arms, drew the attention of a news photographer at a dockside stop in the Waterloo section of London. His photo of them was published in the London Times, bearing the caption, “No shawl-wrapped refugee is this Czech mother…on her way to settle in America.” Her mother had kept a tattered copy of the original article, and years later, Evie was able to obtain a clean copy of the original newspaper clipping, a memento she treasured. The family settled in Philadelphia, PA, where Evie was raised, and she became an official American citizen when she turned 18. She attended high school in the city and went on to Penn State’s two-year campus in nearby Abington. But short on tuition funds, she left college after three semesters and joined the Philadelphia pharmaceutical firm of Smith Kline and French Laboratories, starting as a copywriter’s assistant in the Public Relations Department, and eventually becoming assistant editor of the company’s employee newspaper, while taking evening classes at the University of Pennsylvania. California beckoned and Bob joined North American Aviation and the fledgling Apollo program that would carry astronauts to the moon. They spent the next three years on the west coast, where Evie resumed her education at California State University in Fullerton, graduating with a BA in English and Journalism. They returned to Pennsylvania when Bob took a job with General Electric in Valley Forge, and Evie eventually continued her education at Temple University in Philadelphia, working as a graduate assistant in the School of Communications and Theater, and graduating with an MA in Communications. Her master’s thesis was a two-volume study of American press coverage of the Holocaust. She then worked part-time as a special correspondent for a daily newspaper in Montgomery County, PA, reporting on the activities of two area municipalities and two school boards, frequently delivering “live” radio broadcasts from meeting sites, and writing news and feature articles for the paper’s parent company. She subsequently joined a federal grant program, editing a newsletter and producing materials for special education teachers serving handicapped children. Later consulting work included writing, editing, publication design and production services for several local companies and civic and community associations. Volunteer activities during those years included serving with Bob in the state Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, where they sponsored and worked with a young boy for several years. She also helped organize a township girls athletic program, umpired softball games, coached a girls basketball and softball team to undefeated seasons, and served as a Girl Scout leader. In 1983, the family moved to Maryland when Bob took a job with the firm that had built the unique planned residential city of Columbia, a community of 10 self-governed “villages” in the Baltimore-Washington corridor. Her big mistake upon arriving in Maryland was taking on anyone and everyone she met, betting on her beloved Philadelphia Phillies baseball team that was about to meet the Baltimore Orioles in the upcoming World Series. The series didn’t go so well: her Phillies lost in four straight games. Evie joined her village board and its architectural committee in Columbia, then was elected to the Columbia Council, the city’s governing body, where she served for eight years, six as vice chair. She also was chosen to represent the city of Columbia as a goodwill ambassador to Tres Cantos, a small town near Madrid, Spain. She also chaired the Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club’s Women’s Golf Association and represented the organization on the board of the Women’s Golf Association of Baltimore. Professional memberships over the years included the Society of Professional Journalists, the oldest organization representing journalists in the country; Women in Communications, and the Association for Education in Journalism. As with so many Island residents, Evie and Bob started coming to Hilton Head on regular family vacations when their children were young. They retired here in 2001, moving into Palmetto Hall, where she joined the plantation’s women’s golf association. She remained a WGA member for more than 17 years, serving as its president for several years, heading up various programs, and originating its points awards program, which she also chaired. She represented the organization on the Lowcountry Women’s Golf Association board for two years as well. A volunteer with the League of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, she also was involved in area politics for many years, creating election campaign materials for Hilton Head town council and mayoral contests. Evie loved Hilton Head, its beaches and the ocean; her backyard lagoon view and the countless birds that soared over it; tackling morning newspaper crossword and sudoku puzzles; taking Art League classes; trying new recipes; entertaining friends; never missing a Phillies game on TV, and cheering on the Philadelphia Eagles every Sunday; golf at Palmetto Hall, especially with the “casual” ladies golf group; monthly “Louisville ‘POP’” bridge sessions with three extra special friends; couples cribbage; canasta Wednesdays at the clubhouse; several regular neighborhood couples duplicate bridge games --and monthly get-togethers with the “Cocktails for 12” group, who over the years became not only dear friends, but “family.” But mostly, she treasured the time spent with her husband Bob who had shared her life for so many years, her three children, who grew into the adults she was so very proud of, their special spouses, and a wonderful grandson. A private celebration of her life will be held by her family. Donations in her honor would be gratefully accepted to either Hospice Care of The Lowcountry, Post Office Box 3827, Bluffton, SC 29910, or to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 28 W. 44th Street, Suite 609, New York NY 10036, in honor of her 27+ years as a breast cancer survivor.