RICHARDS, William Thom 'Will' 1945 - 2022

RICHARDS, THOM, BURNES, CORNELL, POWELL, JANSEN

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 7/17/2022 at 15:25:02

"The Fairfield Ledger"
Thursday, July 7, 2022
Page 6, Column 1

WILLIAM "WILL" THOM RICHARDS
Fairfield

William "Will" Thom RICHARDS, born in Jackson, Mississippi, on June 27, 1945, peacefully departed this earthly life on June 22, 2022, surrounded by family and friends. He was the son of the late William Franklin RICHARDS and the late Martha Nelle THOM RICHARDS.

Will is survived by Sylvia RICHARDS, wife of 20 years, in Fairfield, Iowa; two step-sons, William A. BURNES of Bloomington, MN, and Raphael L. BURNES in Fairfield; grandson, Andrew K. BURNES; and daughter, Anna-Maria P. CORNELL (Craig S. CORNELL) of Iowa City, Iowa.

He was the first child ("Tommy") of three siblings including Mary Louise RICHARDS POWELL of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Edward Bruce RICHARDS (Delta Ann) of Biloxi, Mississippi. Other surviving family members include niece, Jennifer Ann RICHARDS of Biloxi, Mississippi; nephew, Edward Bruce RICHARDS II of Franklin, Tennessee; and nephew, Alan Benton POWELL of Frisco, Texas.

As part of a military family, Will spent his younger years in Germany, England, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, including summers at his grandparents' (Ralph & Eunice THOM) lake home in Shreveport, LA. He became an avid fisherman and a ham radio operator.

Will graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy from Millsaps College in Jackson, M.S. (sic), an M.A. in Guidance and Personnel Services from University of Memphis in Memphis, TN, and a Ph.D in Management from Maharishi International University (MIU) in Fairfield, Iowa. He also studied non-violent direct action at the Martin Luther King, Jr. School of Social Change, at Crozer Seminary, in Pennsylvania, and worked as a civil rights worker in Jackson, MS, during the 1960's. He loved his studies of Maharishi Vedic Science and his work as a teaching assistant for courses at MIU. He devoted seven years to facilitate world peace by participating in an extended, group practice of the TM-Sidhi program at MIU. During his time at MIU, Will found Sylvia (JANSEN) BURNES, the true love of his life and they married on November 25, 2001. Also during that time at MIU, Will and Anna-Maria joyfully adopted each other as Dad and Daughter.

After various jobs and careers throughout the years, Will was offered the God-given opportunity to fulfill his life-long calling to be a United Methodist minister. He served as a lay minister at the Unionville United Methodist Church in Iowa, and on one occasion, preached at the First United Methodist Church in Fairfield, Iowa. He was most grateful to the congregations, friends, and to God for allowing him those opportunities to serve as minister and in other Christian roles.

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*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.

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