Joseph Walter Richardson III's Obituary
Joseph Walter Richardson III, 82, of Cordova, TN, passed away on June 12th, 2023 surrounded by his loved ones.
Joe was born on April 27th, 1941, to Mary Modest Patterson Richardson and Joseph Walter Richardson Jr. in Cape Girardeau, MO. After Joe graduated from Portageville High School in 1959, he went on to study at Christian Brothers University.
In 1960, Joe met RoseMary and the two were married a year later in 1961. Joe and Rosie went on to have three children and were in love for 62 years. Joe passed away hand in hand with the love of his life.
He worked for Delta Airlines until he retired in 1994.
Joe, or as most knew him, "Papa" loved playing golf, bowling, telling jokes, the St. Louis Cardinals and his family, especially when they came to family dinner. His family was everything to him. To know him was to love him. He never met a stranger.
Joseph was preceded in death by his grandparents Virginia and Herchel Patterson, his mother Mary Modest Patterson Richardson, his father Joseph Walter Richardson Jr., his two sons Pat Richardson (Christine) and Mike Richardson and his sister Mary Jo Sharpe. He is survived by his wife, RoseMary Richardson, his daughter Dena Givens (Mark), his granddaughters Ashley Warford (Preston), Amanda Watkins (Stephen), Alex Dorsa (Steven) and Taylor Raza (Humza) and his 9 great grandchildren.
Visitation will be held at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, on Friday June 16, 2023, from 5:00-7:00pm. Funeral Services will be held on June 17, 2023, at Memorial Park Funeral Home at 10:00 am. with visitation held an hour prior to the service. Burial to follow at Memphis Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 3700 N. Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, TN. 38133.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; stjude.org
What’s your fondest memory of Joseph?
What’s a lesson you learned from Joseph?
Share a story where Joseph's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Joseph you’ll never forget.
How did Joseph make you smile?