Ron Richard remembered by community, colleagues as 'true public servant'

Jun. 13—Political leaders from Southwest Missouri and across the state as well as residents of Joplin and neighboring communities stood in line for up to an hour Tuesday night to pay their respects to the family of Ron Richard.

Richard, the only state lawmaker to be elected as both House speaker and later Senate president pro tem, died Friday after a short illness at the age of 75.

Visitation took place Tuesday night on the campus of Missouri Southern State University, where Richard also served on the Board of Governors.

Joplin Mayor Doug Lawson paid tribute to Richard, who also was a former Joplin councilman and mayor, at the close of a City Council work session Monday night.

"Ron served Joplin well. And when he went to the state and had bigger fish to fry, he never forgot Joplin. After the (2011) tornado, he did more than anybody to get federal help. ... He was the one who brought all those state and federal resources together" to mend the town where he lived all his life.

In addition to Lawson, Joplin's mayor pro tem as well as other council members, former council members and mayors, attended the visitation to express their appreciation and condolences.

On Tuesday, Lawson said of Richard, "He never forgot his home. And he cared about us."

"This community owes a lot to Ron Richard," Mayor Pro Tem Keenan Cortez said. "We have benefited from his leadership for decades. We should be in reverence and honor for all that he's done for us. We are going to miss him greatly. We hate that he's gone, but we will continue to push forward and make this community what he would want it to be."

Cortez said the reason for the extensive line of those who came to the visitation was because "he was a just a good person. Whether you agreed with him politically or not, he would still sit down at a table and chat with you and talk about what needed to happen in our community moving forward. He was just a good guy, loved by many as evidenced here tonight."

Peggy Fuller, vice president of marketing for SMB, said she became acquainted with Richard through the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce.

"He had such a heart for his community. He was very giving of his time and was just a wonderful man who loved Joplin and loved Southwest Missouri and proved it by giving all that time to us," she said, referencing his years served in Joplin city leadership, in both houses of the Missouri Legislature and in numerous community organizations.

Several school officials, including school board President Rylee Hartwell, joined those honoring Richard.

"What always stuck out to me about his service was that he was somebody who really cared about Southwest Missouri. He had a great desire to serve the people of this community," Hartwell said.

He also described Richard as a kind and considerate mentor.

"Really, the big takeaway is that he cared about Joplin, Southwest Missouri and Jasper and Newton counties and the counties that he served, and that showed," he said. "And that was rewarded with political service to the state as well."

That's why so many turned out, Hartwell said.

"I think Ron Richard was a household name in the political circles across the state, and you see a lot of dignitaries here from the Missouri Legislature as well as their offices. They wanted to be part of this tonight, and I think that's important. When people do so much for their community, the least we can do is show our sympathy and our well wishes for his family."

One of those state dignitaries in attendance was Todd Richardson, director of the MO HealthNet Division. He was appointed to that position by Gov. Mike Parson after having served as speaker of the Missouri House following Richard's terms there.

"Ron and I not only served together, but we became really good friends," Richardson said. "We shared a commonality that we both shared the Missouri speaker's office, and that kind of bond allowed us to build a really good friendship. I think Ron took a lot of pleasure in that our last names were similar and we would often joke about the fact that we had Speaker Richard and then Speaker Richardson.

"But we had a chance to work on some really difficult issues together but also some issues that ultimately benefited the state of Missouri. Ron was someone who I described as a true public servant," Richardson said. "Whether it was serving here or serving both in the Missouri House and the Missouri Senate, he exemplified the very best attributes of what it means to be a true public servant."