A resident of Columbus, Georgia, she will be remembered with deep respect and enduring love by all who had the privilege of knowing her. Affectionately known as “GG”, i.e. “Gorgeous Grandma”, to her grandchildren, she carried herself with unmistakable presence—always put together, always expressive, and always fully engaged in the people and moments she cherished. Also known as “Tense” or “Reds” to her family and childhood friends, she was a natural redhead with freckles that she tried her best to cover with makeup. Hortensia left an impression that was as vivid as it was unforgettable.
Hortensia spent the entirety of her childhood in the segregated Santa Cruz neighborhood of Gamboa in the Panama Canal Zone. She graduated from Paraiso Junior-Senior High School under the Canal Zone’s Latin American School System and later devoted her professional life to education. She served for 24 years at Woodall Psychoeducational Center in Columbus, Georgia, bringing not only skill and discipline to her work, but also imagination and heart. She believed learning should be lived and felt. She once transformed a classroom into a life-sized Panamá rainforest, complete with plants and animals drawn by her own hand, so her students could be immersed in the experience. She gave her time, her energy, and her care without reservation, and was known to always help out family and friends in need or do a little something to show her love – like send a care package or money to help fix a car – never expecting anything in return.
On January 3, 1969, she married Fernando Aurelio Richards, better known as “Nando” or “Bellys”. Having first met each other in grade school, they grew up together in the Panama Canal Zone, building a marriage that lasted 57 years and was rooted in history, loyalty, and devotion. Hortensia adored her children and treasured her grandchildren, consistently showing up, often loudly, for the people she loved. Whether cheering from the stands at her son’s football games, attending the children’s track meets (where you might have caught her running alongside the track, cheering them on), or turning summer days at home into “GG’s School” for the grandchildren, she poured herself into nurturing curiosity, strong minds, and confident hearts.
She traveled here and there for grandparents’ day, gave the grandchildren full lessons at home in math and science, and encouraged them to be voracious readers in between field trips to places like Disney World, Washington, D.C., all the caverns and museums within driving distance, and the Bahamas.
Hortensia was a rare diamond who lived with a bold, spirited intensity that could not be mistaken. Of late, she made a point of reminding others to enjoy their lives to the fullest and to take the time to travel while they could. She was always the life of the party and the last one on the dance floor. She loved to sing, having been a member of a singing group in high school. Her love of music ran deep—soca, calypso, oldies but goodies, the Gap Band, Whitney Houston, and above all Smokey Robinson. She could spend hours listening, singing, and dancing in her music room, strobe light on and joy undimmed, even when no one else was around. When she was on the dance floor, she refused to let anyone show her up. She was also known for speaking her mind plainly, and would say whatever she wanted to say, whenever she wanted to say it. She was Superwoman and protected her family fiercely, always ready to “cuff up somebody rass” especially when it came to her kids.
Hortensia was full of creativity and energy. She played softball in her school days, volleyball in her younger years, and was a great swimmer. She enjoyed ceramics, sewing, gardening, floral arrangements, crocheting, traveling to various countries around the world, and hosting parties and gatherings where laughter, conversation, and good food were guaranteed. Anyone coming to the house, whether it was her family or friends or her children’s friends, needed to be prepared to laugh, eat delicious food, hear curse words aplenty, engage in bochinche, match her drinks, and have an absolutely good time.
She loved going to the movies and watching horror films, and she followed the Atlanta Braves and boxing matches with enthusiasm. She enjoyed Cerveza Panamá en la botella verde, a few good drinks of Crown Royal with Diet Pepsi, and she especially enjoyed ceviche whenever the family returned home to Panamá. A fashionable dresser, she would often be seen sporting leopard print attire and made sure that her hair, makeup, fingernails and toenails were always done. She loved her gold jewelry and wore a blinged out ring on almost every finger.
Hortensia was widely known as an amazing cook, and her table was an expression of her care. Among the many dishes family and friends came to love were her rice and peas, stew, oxtail, calcaree, souse, stuffing, fruit cake, and delicious empanadas. She looked forward to Thanksgiving, when she would assemble an extensive menu with pride and precision— her food was not just made to be eaten, but to be remembered. She loved Christmas most of all, shopping for deals and treasures year-round, and the Christmas tree and villages she designed remain, still standing at her home and her daughter’s home, as lasting reminders of the beauty she created and the joy that she insisted on bringing into the home.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Edward Nathaniel Ricketts and Catherine Roberts; and her siblings, Annetta George (aka "Nita"), Albert Dixon, Hazel Lindo, and Silvia Frank (aka "Coco).
She is survived by her husband, Fernando Aurelio Richards; her children, Carolyn Ann Davis; Fernando Aurelio Richards, Jr. aka “Dito” (Flor Richards); and Janelle Natasha Richards aka “Pumpkin” (Mutepe Akemon); her grandchildren, Lewis Scott Davis, II (aka “Chi Chi”), Damaris Isabel Richards, Analiza Gabriela Richards, Sofía Sanaa Richards, and Zoe Lee Isabel Akemon; her siblings, Josephine Smith (aka "Pepsi") and Gloria Ricketts (aka "Gogo"); and a host of beloved nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, godchildren, in-laws, comadres, compadres, honorary children and grandchildren, friends, and former classmates and coworkers she kept in touch with through the years.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, Fisher Chapel, 4071 Macon Road, Columbus, GA 31907, on October 24, 2026, at 11:00 am with Rev. Darlene Small officiating.
A graveside service will be held at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery, 553 AL-165, Fort Mitchell, AL 36856, on October 26, 2026, from 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm.
In loving memory of Hortensia Isabel Richards, the family invites those wishing to honor her life to make a gift to the Five Queens Scholarship at Clark Atlanta University. Created in tribute to the beloved grandmothers of her granddaughter, Zoe, the scholarship holds special meaning for the family and reflects Hortensia’s lifelong love of education and deep belief in the promise of young people. Special consideration is given to students from Columbus, Georgia, who hope to pursue a law degree after completing their undergraduate studies. Donations can be made through the following link: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/clark-atlanta-university-inc/five-queens-scholarship
