Obituary of Judith A. Richard

Chili ~ Judith A. Richard, age 75, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, August 13, 2017.
     She was born Sept. 18, 1941, in Philadelphia, PA, a daughter of the late John and Edith Harvey Lightcap.
     Mrs. Richard was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt. She was an accomplished musician and valued co-laborer with her husband in his three pastorates and two interim pastorates.
     She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, (Pastor) Glenn L. Richard; her children: Stephen (Elyse) Richard of N. Chili, Sue A. (Michael) Paris of Ithaca, NY, and Sheryl L. Richard of Chili; her 9 grandchildren: Scott, Heather, Lauren, and Jackson Paris and Micah, Zach, Zane, Luke, and Isaiah Richard; her siblings: Lorin Lightcap of Broomall, PA and Dr. Esther L. Meek of Aliquippa, PA; along with nieces and nephews and many dear friends.
Judy received Jesus Christ as her personal Savior at age 4 after talking to her mother. She grew as a Christian in the historic Spruce Street Baptist Church of Philadelphia, PA, and made more mature dedications to Christ in the ensuing years.
     Also at the age of 4, she began playing the piano. Seeing her potential, her Granny Harvey sacrificially paid (without Judy’s knowledge of who was paying) to have her receive piano lessons. She actively used her abilities in her local church, playing piano and organ and singing in a girls’ quartet. At one point, she even accompanied another church member, Glenn Richard, when he played his trombone. Before she finished high school, she played the organ for the assemblies at West Philadelphia High School and began her five summers as staff pianist at Harvey Cedars Bible Conference, Harvey Cedars, NJ.
     Receiving scholarships from the Philadelphia Public Schools and ARCO Oil Refining Company, she entered Houghton College, Houghton, NY, in September 1959. An excellent student and involved in musical venues singing and playing organ and piano, she graduated with a B. Mus. in Piano Performance in May 1963.
     She and Glenn dated during her high school years, but they made a pact that they would always be friends—nothing more! However, between her junior and senior years of college, she reconnected with Glenn and began a mostly postal correspondence that eventuated in their engagement and marriage on August 30, 1963, at Spruce Street Baptist Church, now located in Newtown Square, PA.
     Glenn was in the midst of a 3-year Army enlistment, and Judy then pursued a Master’s Degree in Piano. The next months were difficult with Glenn stationed in VA and Judy in Baltimore, MD. She received her M. Mus. degree in Piano Performance from the Peabody Conservatory, now of the Johns Hopkins University, in May 1964. She and Glenn then moved into an apartment in Alexandria, VA, until his discharge in March 1965, two months after Stephen was born in the army hospital at Ft. Belvoir.
She and Glenn returned to the Philadelphia area where they renewed their involvement at Spruce St. Baptist while he completed his Bible college training. During the next few years, Judy taught on the music faculty of the Philadelphia College of Bible and was organist at various Philadelphia-area churches. A special joy was accompanying her aunt, Lorraine Fleming, a lyric soprano, for many of her concerts. God gave Judy and Glenn a daughter Sue Ann during this time.
     When Glenn sensed the call of God to full-time Christian service, they moved to Grand Rapids, MI, in August 1969, so Glenn could attend Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary. Immediately, Judy was employed as organist at the Wealthy Street Baptist Church. She continued in this role until December 1971, when she joined Glenn after he accepted the call to be pastor of the Hesperia Baptist Church. In Feb. of 1971, Sheryl had joined the family.
Judy then began a career of being a godly wife, mother of their 3 children, and devoted co-laborer with her husband in his three pastorates: Hesperia (MI) Baptist Church (1971-1980), West Endicott (NY) Baptist Church (1980-1992), and Faith (NY) Baptist Church of N. Chili (1992-2006). She accompanied for services and soloists, led choirs, taught ladies’ Bible studies, and loved and served the people in any way that she could. She had the Biblical gift of serving. After Glenn’s retirement, she continued doing the same in his two interim pastorates: Tabernacle Baptist Church (Ithaca, NY) and First Baptist Church of Pavilion (NY).
     Judy was committed to her Lord and Savior, to the Bible as God’s Word, to her family, to her local churches, and to loving and serving people.
     Family and friends may call on Saturday, August 19th from 10:30AM-12noon at the Faith Baptist Church of N. Chili, 2954 S. Union St, Rochester, NY 14624, where her funeral service will be held at Noon. A luncheon is scheduled to follow in Faith Baptist’s Hayes Hall.
A private interment will immediately follow the service in Westside Cemetery.
     In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made either to Faith Baptist Church of N. Chili or the First Baptist Church of Pavilion, NY.