Clemmie Belle Richards

Clemmie B. Richards

Clemmie B. Richards, 94, of Kilgore, completed her earthly journey on Saturday, December 10, 2022, in Longview. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, December 15, 2022, in the Chapel of Rader Funeral Home in Kilgore, with Rev. Allison Andrews officiating. Interment will follow in Pirtle Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday from 12:30 p.m. until 2 p.m. prior to the service.

Clemmie Belle Bickley, affectionately known to many as “Miss Clemmie,” was born October 27, 1928, to Russell and Mavor Bickley. Their home was a farm near Pirtle, South of Kilgore, Texas. Clemmie attended grade school, high school and college in Kilgore. During those years, she worked on the farm, and among all the livestock, her favorite was a black rooster.

She was a member of the world-famous Kilgore College Rangerettes in the 7th line (1946 – 1947) performing in the Cotton Bowl and Junior Rose Bowl. Clemmie married Jim Richards, whom she had met at Kilgore College. They moved to Dallas, where she brought into the world a baby boy named Don. A few years later, Clemmie had a baby girl named Holly. (Holly lived only a few days.)

The family lived for a few years in California, where they enjoyed water skiing and snow skiing. In 1970, they moved to Colorado. Don was now in high school, and Clemmie was a wonderful homemaker. They continued snow skiing, but in 1972 Clemmie suffered a serious knee injury, which would be a challenge for the rest of her life.

She enjoyed playing golf, and a highlight was the occasion to serve as a volunteer for the 1980 U.S. Open championship at Cherry Hills. Among her fond memories from that experience was meeting professional golfers Hale Irwin and Lee Trevino.

Clemmie accompanied her husband on many business trips around the country, and a favorite memory was when she was wearing a baby blue dress in snowstorm in New York City. A taxi driver paused, stepped out of his cab, and tipped his hat as if for royalty.

When Don went away to college, Clemmie went to work for the large engineering company Stone & Webster, serving as an administrator in the executive suite. She loved working on projects like power plants and other industrial facilities around the country. (Clemmie always loved studying maps, and this work gave her many opportunities to do that in detail.)

In the early 1990s, Clemmie moved back to Kilgore to take care of her parents and her aunts. She continued her involvement with PEO, and she was an active member of Kilgore Woman’s Club, Club Au Courant, and Rangerettes Forever. (Of course, she loved to attend events that featured the Rangerettes.) Clemmie was a gifted story-teller and public speaker, and she was an exceptional bridge player.

Clemmie traveled around the country, mostly bus, but sometimes by train. When she was a Rangerette, they traveled to Pasadena by steam train. Later, she and Don would ride the Santa Fe Chief between Texas and California. In more recent years, Clemmie was able to meet the engineer and conductor of the Union Pacific Big Boy locomotive when it stopped in East Texas.

In 2022, the Kilgore chapter Rotary held an event at Kilgore College to honor Clemmie. She regaled the large audience with stories about her time on the team, and she showed that she still had her rope-twirling skills.

Everyone who ever met Clemmie was made to feel important and appreciated. People absolutely loved visiting with her.

Clemmie was reunited with her parents Russell and Mavor Bickley and her daughter Holly Gail Richards.

Left to cherish her memory is her son, Don Richards of Colorado; special friends, Keith and Paula Hooks of Kilgore, Robin Scott of Kilgore, Honorable Glenn Phillips of Kilgore, Jo Hancock, Lila Currin, Yvonne Christian, Lillian Custer, Alma Farmer, Kim Krantz and a sister, Shirley Dimmock of Jasper also left to carry on her legacy are numerous friends and other loving family members.

Please leave online condolences at www.raderfuneralhome.com