Nancy B. Richards (nee Buyer), 93, a longtime resident of Riverside, died on Oct. 11, 2025. Born on Jan. 8, 1932, she was a longtime educator with the Chicago Public Schools, enjoyed sewing, quilting, tennis in earlier years and was an avid gardener. She loved her trips to her cottage in Michigan, walking the beach and visiting cherished friends in Palm Desert, California.
Nancy was the wife of the late Melvin Richards; the mother of Juliana (Jeff) Tonkin, Paul (Karen) Richards, the late Michael (Mary) Richards and the late Timothy (Heather) Richards; the grandmother of Jennifer (Jay) Hesselschwardt, Ashley (Joseph) Garcia, Adam (Kylee) Tonkin, Colin, Amy, William, Ryan, Ellie, Erin, Ian, Jack, Alec and Anna Richards; the great-grandmother of Marjorie, Sadie, Theodore and Peter Hesselschwardt, Cameron and Cooper Tonkin, and Adalynn and Nalea Garcia; and sister of the late Judith (the late John) Wenner.
Visitation will take place at St. Mary Church (St. Paul VI Parish), 105 Herrick Road in Riverside, on October 16 from 10 a.m. until the funeral Mass at 11. Interment Queen of Heaven Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Nancy’s memory to The Melvin C. Richards Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o St. Ignatius College Prep High School, 1076 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL. 60608.