Loren Eugene Richards

Published July 21, 2021 at 1:14 PM

Loren Eugene Richards, age 95, caring father, grandfather, great grandfather and great-great grandfather of Mesa, AZ passed away Thursday July 15, 2021.

Loren was born April 23rd, 1926, to LeRoy and Minnie (Sommer) Richards in Colgate, ND. He attended school in Colgate, ND and was valedictorian of his class of 1944. In December of 1944 he was drafted into the Army. After basic training at Camp Hood in Texas he was deployed to the Philippines and later was stationed in the Japanese islands where he was tasked with keeping the peace and rebuilding the war-ravaged country. Loren was in the engineering unit; after two years of service returned to North Dakota and enrolled at the Interstate Business College in Fargo. One year later he decided to move back to the Hope area and started his farming career. He married the love of his life, Marian Larson on December 17, 1950. He farmed in the Hope, ND area for over thirty years and was a lifelong member of the local American Legion as well as a World War II Veteran.

Loren was very active in the communities he lived in serving on church councils and committees; Sheyenne Valley Rural Electrics, North Dakota and National REC, Hope Farmers Union Oil Company, HOA boards and others. He was always more than willing to help in community projects from sodding the local school grounds to planting trees at the golf course to designing and building a new church to name a few.

In 1979, Loren and Marian moved to Mesa, AZ. In his retirement years, at Sunland Village, he kept busy by doing handyman jobs for his friends and family.

Loren is survived by his seven children, Rodney (Susie) of Newport, WA; Randy (Carmen) of Hope, ND; Russell (Beverly) of Salt Lake City, UT; Reginald (Linda) of Erie, CO; Rochelle (Carey Flatt) of West Fargo, ND; Renae (Alex Ramirez) of Chandler, AZ; Royce (Laurie) of Pocatello, ID; two sisters Ella Kask and Norma (Dean) Trost; and sister-in-law Eleanor Richards. He is also survived by twenty-one grandchildren, twenty-six great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.

Loren was preceded in death by his parents, wife Marian, infant son Timothy, daughter Roxanne Langendorfer, granddaughter Monica Patterson, sister Dorothy O’Marro, brothers Eugene, Orrin and Wayne, brothers-in-law Clifford O’Marro and Herbert Kask.

There will be a memorial service on Friday, July 23rd at 6:30pm at Melcher Chapel of the Roses. Address: 43 South Stapley Drive, Mesa, AZ. A grave side memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 31st at 11:00am at the Hope Cemetery in Hope, ND.

In lieu of flowers, the family is suggesting that donations be made to the Hope Cemetery, 13185 6th St SE, Hope, ND 58046.