Obituary of Barbara S. Richards

Barbara S. Richards, 88, of Woodstock passed peacefully into the arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, at her home on Friday, February 10, 2012. Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, daughter of Herbert and Myrtice Siegmund, she lived in South Woodstock for over 60 years. She was predeceased by her two siblings, Warren Siegmund and Thelma Goodier. Mrs. Richards was also predeceased by the love of her life and adoring husband, James Ernest Richards, Sr., a World War II veteran (Normandy), who died in September of 1967, and subsequently by her son, James E. Richards, Jr., a Vietnam veteran, who died in 2002. She leaves three daughters, Cynthia Richards Wood, of Webster, Massachusetts, Barbara Richards Eslinger, of Pomfret, Connecticut, and Jan Richards-Schmidt, of East Killingly, Connecticut, along with two sons-in-law, Robert S. Eslinger and Roland H. Schmidt. She was a wise and loving grandmother to six grandchildren, Keith R. Eslinger, Neal C. Eslinger, Tara Wood Myers, Elizabeth O'Connor, Lynn Marie Richards, and David Scott Hilton, and is also survived by five great grandchildren, her sister-in-law, Evelyn Richards Russell, and several nieces and nephews. Barbara and James Richards proudly raised their family while working hard as partners to build their business, Modern Home Products, Inc., which was located at the current site of Windy Acres in South Woodstock. After James's death in 1967, Barbara enjoyed a long and happy career at Citizens National Bank of Putnam, CT, retiring as a Senior Loan Officer in 1990. Barbara loved playing competitive Bridge, completing NY Times Crossword puzzles, and she enjoyed road trips all over New England. During her retirement, her travel adventures included New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Alaska. She was a lifelong, loyal fan of the Red Sox, UConn Huskies, tennis and golf. She was an honest, moral, no-nonsense, practical and loyal person with a wonderfully wry sense of humor. Easy to laugh, easy to help, easy to listen, she was the one to count on for good advice and will be sorely missed by all who loved her. She championed several charities, and if anyone wishes to make a donation in her honor to one of her favorites, the spirit of her generosity will live on: Paralyzed Veterans of America, 7 Mill Brook Road, Wilton, NH 02086 https://secure.pva.org/site/ American Red Cross, PO Box 4002018, Des Moines, IA 50340-2018 https://american.redcross.org/ Salvation Army Gift Processing Center, P.O. Box 509, Hartford, CT 06141-0509 http://salvationarmyusa.org/ A Celebration-of-Life service will be held at the Smith & Walker Funeral Home 148 Grove Street, Putnam, CT 06260 on Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 11 am. To share a memory "Light a Candle" at www.smithandwalkerfh.com