Widget’s life was characterized by a giving spirit, boundless in its capacity for caring for others. During her thirteen years as an Adapted Physical Education Teacher for Atlanta Public Schools, she cared for many disabled children across several schools, teaching them to run, throw and have fun at participating in sports and the outdoors. Her care for each student individually led her to provide basic needs for students such as clothing, food and respite time. She supported her students’ participation in Georgia Special Olympics and took many to the Georgia State Olympic Games at Emory University.
Widget was also a fierce advocate for those with disabilities, and battled to begin and improve services for them. She participated in lobbying efforts at the Georgia State capital for expanded Medicaid funding for residential opportunities outside of state institutions. She led the effort to provide handicapped access to the beaches of Jekyll Island, and succeeded in securing funding for placement of several beach access crossovers on the island.
Widget was a very active individual, participating in tennis at the local level in the south-Georgia region, and then on the collegiate level at Georgia Southern University. Tennis was part of her life through out her adult years as she participated in community tennis through her Chimney Springs subdivision teams and other community programs. She was also an accomplish diver, competing at the state level in high school and then later at Georgia Southern. In her spare time, she bicycled across Georgia ten or more years with the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia, accompanied by her husband and sons. The last several years saw Widget plant and nourish a substantial garden in her Chimney Springs home backyard.
Dear to her heart were her fellow “Teal Sisters”, each battling Ovarian Cancer. Widget’s network of friends battling this cancer stretched across the United States, and even to Europe and Australia. She extended her heart to many whose spirit was burdened and brought them Christ’s presence in words of encouragement and hope. With a fellow Teal Sister, she established a prayer shawl ministry, crocheting and then mailing more than 150 prayer shawls to women battling this cancer. She established deep friendships through a wonderful Montana retreat for women with Ovarian Cancer, and followed those friends until the day she died.
Widget described herself as a “mamma bear” as she fought for services for her sons with disabilities. The local school system administrative team learned to listen to her and learn from her as she improved the educational services her sons and others received. She worked with a Georgia State Senator, who later became a United States Senator from Georgia, to change Georgia State law such that school-based audiologists were now required to be licensed. She worked with local community-based residential and day-program services to provide opportunities for her oldest son to live in the community.
Widget loved her three sons with passion and dedication. Her family was her life and her home and daily activities reflected that. Her concern for her son with Down Syndrome, prevented her from traveling too distant to return quickly. As they grew older and left home, she adopted modern communication methods, “Facetiming” daily for reports on the daily life. She and her husband were a team for much of the advocating and serving efforts she began. They were partners through 39 years of marriage.
Widget was also a believer in salvation through Jesus Christ. She had daily time with the Lord, finding strength and direction in his presence. She would say “God talked to me” about this situation or plan. She was truly a child of God and is now dancing with Him, her Mom and Dad, and others that have gone on before her.
Widget was the daughter of Dr. Lawrence and Jan Bennett of Jesup, Georgia who preceded her in death. She is survived by her husband John Richards and sons, Nicholas Richards and Thomas Richards, son Mark, daughter-in-law Robyn and grandson Maddox Richards and mother-in-law Mary Louise Richards. And her sisters, Julie Sample, Jody Reichel and Margaret Missel.
In lieu of flowers, please support Loving Arms Cancer Outreach, Inc., located in Marietta, Georgia. This organization was an important part of Widget’s life.
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