Warren Richards

On December 9, 2025, the morning after celebrating the 68th anniversary of marriage with his beloved Carolyn, our wonderful father Warren Richards passed from our lives. Dad deeply loved his family, found joy in learning, in music, and in playful moments with family and friends, and he brought the highest level of humanistic care to his patients—care that continues to inspire those carrying on his legacy.

Born in Chicago in 1928, he was sadly preceded in death by his brother Dicky when he was only 7 years old and by his father Frank in his teens. After these losses, he devoted himself to supporting and caring for his mother Beatrice for the rest of her life. He attended the University of Illinois and Chicago Medical School, and later was drafted into the U.S. Navy, where he delivered many babies who were later named “Warren” in gratitude by their mothers.

As a child, he had visited Los Angeles and knew this was where he wanted to return for the sunshine and coastal living. Toward the end of his naval service and while in L.A., he went on a blind date with the beautiful Carolyn Press, with whom he immediately fell madly in love—they met in June, and they were married by December. Carolyn’s dear sister, Sondra, helped set up Warren and Carolyn (as part of a double date), for which they are forever grateful, as it was the beginning of a love affair that carried on for nearly 70 years. Sondra is a cherished part of our family—an integral part of our celebrations, our milestones, and the memories we hold most dear.

Medicine was more than a profession for Warren—it was a lifelong intellectual passion. He cared for countless families in his private medical practice, where he was known for his calm, thoughtful manner and his ability to solve complex medical problems that others found puzzling. He later joined Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where he was respected for his clinical insight and his commitment to patient centered care, and where his love of teaching continued in his role as a professor of pediatrics at USC. One of his proudest accomplishments was collaborating with Carolyn’s father, Morris Press, to establish the Morris and Mary Press Humanism Award at CHLA, recognizing the compassion, integrity, and humanity he believed were essential to good medicine. Families often expressed their gratitude for the care he provided—one family with children living with chronic lung disease shared that his guidance helped them live fuller, more hopeful lives. Even after retiring from full time practice, he continued reading his medical journals cover to cover and made hospital rounds well into his 80s, energized by the challenge of understanding and solving medical mysteries, and by the joy he found in teaching young doctors.

Carolyn and Warren raised three children—Tracy, Lisa, and Kimberly—who remember his love of knowledge, teaching, and bridge, but most of all the love he showed them and Carolyn in countless ways.

Every evening, his car rolled into the garage at exactly 5:30 pm, always ensuring he was on time for the home cooked dinner our mom had ready at 6 pm, honoring how important that daily ritual was to her. We waited by the carport window until he arrived on the dot. When we were little, we loved to roughhouse with him and laugh at his silly jokes. He loved reading to us—everything from nursery rhymes to Two Years Before the Mast—and we can still hear his voice bringing those stories to life. He carried these traditions forward with his seven grandchildren, who appreciated the same roughhouse games and silly jokes we once did.

His love of learning showed in his voracious reading of history, science, and current events, and he enjoyed sharing what he discovered in his readings or the joy of a good book. He had a special fondness for detective mystery books and films, describing the plot to all of us with dramatic effect. One of his favorite activities in his later years was watching a romantic musical with Carolyn, singing the beautiful lyrics to her and encouraging all of us to enjoy the story and music as much as he did. Classical music played a big part of his life, and he often hummed or played symphonies and concertos for the family, hoping we could feel as moved as he felt. He loved the Chopin piano concertos and Brahms was another favorite.

His love of teaching was evident in everything he did. Every Sunday, he involved his children—and later his grandchildren—in hands on science experiments, giving them an early start in chemistry, biology, and technology. Whether building plastic models of the human body, exploring the little red and white binary “computer” he used to teach us about patterns and numbers, or learning bridge (which he continued to play at 97, until the week before he passed), his love of learning was infectious and lives on in all of us today.

Our family will miss Dad dearly and hold him forever in our memories. We are deeply grateful to his caregivers and his friends for the support and love they gave him, and for appreciating this extraordinary man, our amazing Dad, whom we will always hold close to our hearts.

Warren is survived by his wife, Carolyn, his daughters Tracy (Jose, “Pepe”), Lisa (Jim), and Kimberly (Ken), his sister-in-law Sondra, his grandchildren Eric, Nicole, Devon (Sebastian), Camila, Jeffrey, Natalie, and Colin, all of whom felt his steady support in ways big and small. We are grateful for the years we had with him and for the example he set—one of loyalty, humility, integrity, and, most importantly, love.

Dad: We will always remember one of our favorite times in the pool, standing on your shoulders as you walked into the deep end. We were laughing and trying to balance, and finally we had to let go. So much fun. So full of life. Such a force of nature and love.

We will honor Dad with a family reunion in January—sharing stories, warmth, and love in the way he cherished most.

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In honor of Warren’s life and the compassionate care he championed, memorial contributions may be made to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, designated for the Morris and Mary Press Humanism Award.

https://shorturl.at/pr98k