John Corliss Richards

A funeral mass will be conducted at 9 a.m., Thursday, May 26, 2022, at Holy Family Catholic Church, with Father Frank Patterson officiating. Interment with full military honors will follow at 11 a.m. at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery.

John was born January 14, 1932, to John Benjamin “Jack” Richards and Lulu Mae Corliss Richards of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He lived in Columbus for 36 years and was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church for many years before moving in 2020 to Dallas, Texas, where he attended All Saints Catholic Church. He wed his high school sweetheart, Lorraine Colvin, June 16, 1956, and they were married for nearly 60 years.

John received his Doctor of Medicine and Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Minnesota. While in medical school, he witnessed the world’s first successful open-heart surgery to repair a heart defect. He graduated medical school on Saturday, June 9, 1956, completed his licensing exams on Thursday, married Lorraine on Saturday, and left with her on Sunday for his internship at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, where they also spent their honeymoon. In 1958, they returned to Minnesota, where John completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic.

John was in the US Army for 31 years, attaining the rank of colonel and serving as hospital commander at Martin Army Hospital in Fort Benning, GA, before retiring in 1987. He served in Vietnam, where he commanded the 67th Evacuation Hospital and was a surgical consultant to the US Army Medical Command. He later served as the Army's Director of Graduate Medical Education in the Office of the Surgeon General in Washington, DC.

John’s military career took the family to posts in Munich, Germany; Colorado Springs; El Paso, San Francisco, San Antonio, Washington DC, and back to Hawaii. His military commendations include the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and the Order of Military Medical Merit. After retiring from the military, John worked weekends in the Martin Army Hospital emergency room for many years as a civilian contractor employed by a firm that provides physicians to fill in at military hospitals.

During their second tour in Hawaii, John and Lorraine developed a passion for golf, taking numerous golf vacations among the islands. While living in Columbus, they joined the Georgia Seniors Golf Association and participated in tournaments across the Southeast. They were frequent volunteers at the Masters' Golf Tournament in Augusta and the former Buick Southern Open at Callaway Gardens.

John and Lorraine loved to travel and together stepped foot on six of the globe’s seven continents. While living in Germany, they traveled extensively throughout Europe. When their children were young, the family enjoyed vacationing across the U.S in their recreational vehicle. With their children grown, John and Lorraine fell in love with cruise ships, taking trips to Alaska, the Baltics, the Mediterranean, the Panama Canal, and many other locales.

They also enjoyed the theater and kept season subscriptions to the Fox Theater in Atlanta and the Springer Theatre in Columbus for many years.

John was preceded in death by Lorraine, who passed away in May 2016.

Survivors include their daughter, Jan Patterson of Omaha, NE; two sons, John Richards and his wife Rochelle of Seattle, WA, and Jeff Richards and his wife Ginger of Dallas, TX; six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.shcolumbus.com for the Richards family.