Jere Michael Richardson

Mike was born in 1940 on his grandfather’s horse ranch in Plentywood, Montana. The family raised and sold horses to the US Army, but times got tough when the Army decided to shift its focus away from military equines to motorized vehicles. Mike’s parents packed up and moved west looking for work in the war effort, eventually settling in Spokane, Washington, when he was just seven years old.

Mike took a year off after high school to work on the construction of the Brownlee Dam at Hells Canyon on the Snake River, along the Idaho–Oregon border. The following year, he received a congressional appointment to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He graduated first in his class in 1964, and on that same day, Mike and his high school sweetheart, Faye Lorenson, commenced their life together with a walk under the traditional Arch of Sabers at the Cadet Chapel. Mike received a National Science Foundation scholarship to complete a master’s degree in engineering at the University of Illinois, and then went on to serve in Thailand, where he helped design and build runways for the Royal Thai Air Force.

Following the fulfillment of his military obligation, Mike worked at an engineering firm in Seattle where he helped design the world’s first tidal aquarium. He completed a law degree from the University of Washington and then spent several years working at the EPA in Washington, DC, where his team converted broad legislation into practical enforcement. His “you pollute, you pay” philosophy survives to this day at the organization. From there, he went on to have a more than stellar career as a lawyer for Pfizer in Groton and then at its global headquarters in New York.

Mike retired from Pfizer in 2001 as the Vice President of Environmental Health & Safety. He was well on his way to revolutionizing the automobile industry by inventing a car that ran entirely on magnets before complications from dementia left his promising work unfinished.

Mike leaves behind his wife, Faye; sons, Tom and Pete (and their respective wives, Heather and Dass); and nine grandchildren (Margot, Jack, Alex, Maddy, Anna, Sam, Teddy, Lilly, and Ella). He was a proud member of the Lyme Land Trust and the Old Lyme VFW and participated behind the scenes in more than a few worthwhile organizations.

The family would like to thank the people at Crescent Point, Niantic for their tender care during Mike’s struggle with Alzheimer’s. Final arrangements will be private, but a celebration of life will be held for family members at a time and place TBD.