Jean Ann Richardson

Jean entered into rest peacefully on Monday, June 21st 2021 in Surprise, Arizona after years of battling health issues with her lungs. Now, after 80 years, family and friends will say goodbye to Jean Richardson at services to be held at St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church in Surprise, Arizona on July 1st, 2021 at 10:30 AM. A viewing will also take place at Surprise Funeral Care on Wednesday, June 30th from 2:00 – 4:30 PM.

Jean was born in Flandreau, South Dakota to Joseph and Mary (Brakke) Peters. After graduating from Elkton High School in 1959, she moved to Sioux Falls to work for the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company. Soon after, she met her husband Bill on a blind, double date. Bill had a date with Jean’s roommate and before the night had ended, Bill had asked Jean out…the rest is history. After eight months they were married on September 16th, 1961 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Elkton South Dakota. Through her life, Jean very much enjoyed time with her friends (most recently the 4 Gs as she called them) and she and Bill were avid bridge players their entire married lives with several wins as evidenced by the baggie of winning coins. As a family, the Richardsons lived in Pipestone Minnesota, Sioux Falls South Dakota, Broken Arrow Oklahoma, and Englewood, Parker and Lone Tree Colorado. Bill and Jean spent their last 13 years in Sun City Festival, a retirement community in Buckeye Arizona, enjoying the retired life with new friends.

Jean is famous with her grandchildren for offering root beer floats and brownies, for making pineapple upside down cake, for taking them shopping and for always having chocolate in the glass candy jars. Jean strived for a clean house at all times. Her daughters remember her raking the carpet and adding a string across the doorway to keep them from walking on the freshly raked carpet. To be ready for anything, she always had a dollar in her pocket and a Kleenex in her purse. Jean loved shopping. As a young mom, “the girls” remember being set loose in Kmart and could find her either in the shoe department (probably buying Sperry shoes) or by looking for the beehive hairdo above the clothes racks. When picking out clothes the rule was “only buy it if you love it.” Growing up as the oldest daughter of 11 children, Jean was the mother hen and was known for the way she shared the names of her siblings, “Chucky, Jeannie, Tootsie, Tommy, Bobby, Rosie, Mary Lou, Barb, Carol, Julie and Rich”. She was always the one in charge to ensure the house and kids were in order. Her siblings remember her as having a significant role during their growing up years and often enjoyed staying with Jean and Bill during various stages of their lives. Jean remembers her dad saying, “If you want it done right, get Jeannie to do it.” Oh, and the lists…to her dying day, she had lists. Jean was generous in many ways, always ready to give in any way she could.

Jean started out working for the phone company and also worked as the receptionist at the Pipestone Vocational School for several years. For a good part of Jean’s career in Colorado, she served as an administrative assistant for a commercial property investment company. Jean’s skills of being smart and meticulous added to her success in each role.

Jean will be greatly missed by her husband of nearly 60 years, her family and her friends.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents Joseph and Mary Peters, and her brother and sister in law, Chuck and Colleen Peters.

She is survived by her husband Charles William (Bill) Richardson, her four daughters; Laurie and her husband Steve Elliott, Lonnie and her husband Mike Sperle, Lisa Haley and Leslie and her husband Steve Soell, her grandchildren; Trista and husband Kelly Barnes and great granddaughter Kylah Barnes. Bayli Larson, Reece and Zoe Elliott, Tanner and Shelbie Sperle, Sean and Makenna Haley, Sam, Grace and Maxwell Soell.