Stuart Richardson

Velma Stuart Allen Richardson passed away on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at Morningside of Concord. Stuart was born on September 1, 1926, to the late William McKinley Allen and Sallie Denning Allen. Stuart grew up in Harnett County, North Carolina, and graduated from Angier High School. She attended Atlantic Christian College.

During World War Il, Stuart worked at the North Carolina Department of Revenue. There she met Lucy Richardson, whose brother, Dick Richardson, was fighting in the Pacific Theater. Lucy asked Stuart to letters to Dick.

When Dick returned to Raleigh after the war, he met the woman who had sustained him with her letters. Dick and Stuart married in June 1948. In 1956 they moved to Concord, where they raised their three daughters. Stuart worked at Concord National Bank while her daughters were in college. Stuart was a member of First Presbyterian Church for sixty years. She enjoyed playing bridge and belonged to the same bridge club for over fifty years. Stuart devoted most of her time to caring for her family, and she was a heroic caregiver for Dick through years of declining health, until he died in December 2008.
Stuart is survived by her daughters, Marcia MacKethan, and husband Crawford, of Fayetteville, NC; Nancy Hardie, and husband Greg, of Lewisville, NC; and Elizabeth Richardson, and husband Michael Pawlyk, of Mount Pleasant, NC. She is also survived by four grandchildren, Crawford MacKethan Ill, and wife Jen, of Wilmington, NC; Cameron MacKethan, and wife
Jenny of Fayetteville, NC; Blythe Parker, and husband Ben, and Darien Sutton, and husband
Scott, all of Lewisville, NC. Stuart is also survived by nine great-grandchildren and a brother, James Robert Allen. Her brothers Kenneth Lee Allen and William McKinley Allen, Jr., preceded Stuart in death.
Stuart was able to stay in her beloved home for sixty years due to a number of devoted caregivers, especially Charlotte Boateng, Pat Bebber, and Priscilla Caldwell. In her last months, Stuart was the recipient of the loving care of many at Morningside Assisted Living in Concord. The family extends deep gratitude to Stuart's caregivers, including the many people with Hospice of Cabarrus County who brought loving guidance to Stuart and her family.
Stuart's memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 4th at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church in Concord. The family will receive friends immediately after the service in Davis Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church (Families in Need Fund), PO Box 789, Concord, NC 28026, or to Hospice of Cabarrus County, 5003 Hospice Lane, Kannapolis, NC 28081.
A lovely member of the Greatest Generation has crossed the border to the heavenly country, and this world is a lesser place.