Willa Jean Richardson

Willa Jean Richardson was born July 25, 1935 in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, and went to be with the Lord on March 8, 2020. Willa was a strong woman of faith and believed that obedience to God and investing in one’s education were the most important things a person could do. She enjoyed learning, traveling, music, gardening, sports including football and horse racing and she loved watching game shows.

Willa was the only child of the late Sammie Jeffery and Willie Jacobs. She was raised by her mother and adoptive father Eugene Jeffery in Longview, TX. There she grew up on the south side, graduating from Longview Womack High School in 1953. She would go on to attend Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee and graduated in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in music and became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. From there, Willa moved to Abilene, Texas and taught school there for 20 years. She taught music at Woodson High School and reading at Lincoln Junior High in the Abilene Independent School District. Willa received a master’s degree in education at Abilene Christian University. In Abilene, she met and married her late husband Vernon Timms, and gave birth to her only child Angela Timms Walker. Following Vernon's passing in 1977, Willa moved to Houston, Texas for a fresh start and a new teaching position with Houston Independent School District at Burbank Middle School. In Houston, she met and re-married John Paul Richardson. After teaching at Burbank Middle School for over 20 years, Willa retired in 2001. She then moved back home to Longview to care for her late father, Eugene Jeffery.

In retirement, she was a loyal member of First Baptist Church, and a leader of the neighborhood watch program in Longview. She moved back to the Houston area in 2017, and lived out her last years as a resident at The Avenues of Fort Bend senior living community. Mrs. Richardson was preceded in death by her mother Sammie Jeffery, adoptive father Eugene Jeffery, father Willie Jacobs, husband Vernon Timms, second husband Paul Richardson and her beloved cocker spaniel Hershey. To cherish her memory, she leaves behind daughter Angela Timms Walker, granddaughter Adrienne Hill, grandson Corey Walker, grandson in law Frank Hill, great granddaughters Jordyn Johnson and Teigan Hill, and great grandsons Ayden Walker and Christian Rogers.