A Life That Keeps Teaching

I sat in the gymnasium with a couple hundred other community members as we surrounded the family of Bill Richardson. Most likely you wouldn’t know Bill outside of our area— but in his 92 years, his life intersected with thousands of others.

We listened to stories about Bill, the dedicated teacher who would give all the time it took for students to grasp new lessons. He routinely took his classes outside to teach survival skills— finding food and shelter—long before outdoor education courses were common.

He coached every sport and taught young students how to drive.

He went on church mission trips to build homes in poverty-stricken countries, but always had time to help a neighbor rebuild a roof or fix broken pipes.

But his true gift was teaching through story telling.

I heard one of those stories on a cold winter Sunday in 2006.

I had just returning from Arizona after my father died. I went to Sunday school, but a light had gone out in my life. I probably shouldn’t have come to church. I didn’t feel like talking—much less listening to another Bible lesson.

I walked out of class and into the empty church library. My sorrow hurt deep inside.

Bill must have seen me leave, because I heard the door open.

“Do you mind if I sit down?” he asked softly.

He knew I’d lost my father.

We sat in silence a few minutes, and then he asked if he could share a story. I nodded.

“I had a teacher who walked into every class with enthusiasm and a smile. He had both kindness and firm expectations. He was teaching us how to become teachers, and the best lesson was his own personality. I wanted to take more classes from him just so I could become more like him.

“But that wasn’t to be. He was killed in car accident—taken from the classroom, his family, and his friends far too soon.

“So, I decided to be like him in the classroom. It was my way of honoring him and carrying on his legacy.

“You can do the same for your father. It won’t bring him back, but it’s a way to have him with you—to live in a way that would make him proud.”

Another classic Bill Richardson story.

I did carry on, my sorrow slowly ebbing away. I learned that I could carry my dad’s legacy forward—that in some way, he would always be with me.

And now, Bill Richardson's story is with me always too.

Photo 1: Celebration of Life for William Richardson

Photo 2: Memorial Service by Steve Singhose

Photo 3: Bill Richardson by Roger Mosley