Stephanie Jean Richards

Stephanie Jean Richards suddenly passed away November 27, 2024, at the age of 48 in Pensacola Florida. She was being treated for mild-moderate COPD at Baptist Hospital when she went into cardiac arrest. Her loss was completely unexpected, and her family is profoundly saddened.

Stephanie truly knew that it was more blessed to give than to receive. Her generosity knew no bounds. She would go above and beyond to make everyone around her happy, often at the expense of her own happiness. Stephanie was a loving daughter, wife, mother and grandmother with a beautiful soul who would help anyone. Her radiant smile lit up every room she entered.

She enjoyed listening to ghost stories and murder mysteries, coming up with new recipes to prepare, and doing a multitude of different crafts. She would spend hours watching videos of other crafters and was so creative that she would often come up with her own extremely detailed projects she wanted to complete. She lived life to the fullest and especially loved spending time with her family, friends, and her beloved pet dog, Benson ‘Benny’ as well as her three grandchildren, who lovingly referred to her as ‘Nai-Nai’.

She is survived by her husband and life-long love Charles Phillip Richards, her children, Geneva Destiny Staples and her husband John Staples; Charles Phillip Richards Jr. and his wife Ashlee Richards; Clarissa Ann Richards and her Partner Alexander Tolbert; grandchildren, Memphis Pantoja, Maverick Richards, and Marlie Richards; her father, Marvin William Johnston Jr. and her brother, William Douglas Johnston.

She is predeceased by her older brother, Marvin William Johnston III, her mother, Gloria Jean Johnston, and her stepmother, Eleanor Carson Keown Johnston, as well as several other more distant family members and loved ones.

Stephanie was born on February 24, 1976, in Selma, Alabama to ‘Bill’ and Gloria Johnston. She attended Etiwanda High school, among others, and through friends/family met ‘Phill’ Richards. They had their first daughter, Destiny in San Bernardino, California in 1994 and then made a cross-country trip via motorhome to live in North Georgia in 1994. This was the place that Stephanie would fondly refer to as her ‘home’. They married on February 14, 1997. They then had their only son ‘Charlie’ in 1998 and then their second daughter Clarissa in 2006. In 2009, they all moved to Pensacola, Florida where she then spent the remainder of her life.

She was known throughout her life to be very devoted and loyal to whatever company she worked for. Most notably, she was proud to be an Assistant Manager at Circle K for almost 11 years before she acquired long COVID and could no longer work a physically demanding job. She treated her coworkers as a second family and always had stories to tell about work at the end of the day. Her friendships with coworkers would last for years after her employment eventually ended.

Her departure comes as a great shock and a deep wound, and it is gravely felt by her entire family and countless others who loved her deeply. The family appreciates your support during this difficult time and asks that you make contributions to our memorial fund in lieu of flowers and contribute by sharing memories and photos of our beloved Stephanie on our memorial website.

She will be cremated, and a memorial service will be held for Stephanie at Christ Episcopal Church on 01/18/2024 at 11am in Pensacola, Florida. The address for the church is: 18 W Wright St. Pensacola, FL 32501. Those who are able to attend are encouraged to. The family asks that those who would like to speak at the service to contact them directly at least 2 weeks prior to the service. The family also plans to ‘bring her back home’ by scattering some of her ashes at a waterfall in North Georgia at a later date.