Lavonne Elizabeth Pourier Richards, also known as “Honey Girl,” passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Nov. 20, 2022 at her home in Umatilla at the age of 92.
She was born on March 4, 1930 in Porcupine, S.D.
Lavonne was the fourth oldest of 12 children, born to Hobert and Isabelle Pourier. She attended Holy Rosary Catholic Boarding School throughout her childhood and remained a devout Catholic her entire life. Upon her high school graduation, she attended nursing school in Kansas City, with the dream of becoming a registered nurse. Her strong bond with her family led her back home to her family before she could complete school, due to her mother’s battle with cancer.
While she was home caring for her mother and younger siblings, she met Leonard Richards in 1948. They married on June 25, 1949 and began a love story that was magical to watch. The couple welcomed the first of their 12 children in April 1950. They lived with their growing family in Igloo, S.D., Sydney, Neb. and Rapid City, S.D. before moving to Hermiston in 1968 and settled in Umatilla in 1976, where she had lived since. Leonard worked at the Umatilla Army Depot, and after they welcomed their 12th child in March 1969, Lavonne went to work for Good Shepherd Hospital as a CNA. She was dedicated and had great compassion for others, right up to her retirement in 1993. After retirement, Lavonne worked with in-home health care for many years.
Lavonne’s sole joy and interest throughout her life was always her family. She could be found at any event involving her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, cheering them on from the stands. She was an extremely gifted artist, and you can find a water color painting hanging in the homes of all of her family. She was an avid reader and quite the competitor at the family game of rummy. Lavonne would sit at a table until her rear end went numb, putting together 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles. She had a keen green thumb and grew the most beautiful roses.
She is survived by her children, Donna Richards, Jackie (Jim) Gohring, Karen McGowan, Diane (Terry) Ferguson, Rick Richards, Kelly (Shelly) Richards, Mark (Deborah) Richards, Arthur Richards, Anthony Richards and Russell Richards; sisters, Deanna and Phyllis; brothers, Duane and Delbert; several dear family members in Oregon, Washington, Nebraska, Montana and South Dakota; and last but not least, 20 grandchildren, 26 great grandchildren and six great-great grandchildren, who will dearly miss the best grandma in the whole world!
Lavonne was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Leonard; her parents; a son, Theodore; a daughter, Connie; grandsons, Coleby, Tyron and Jenson; brothers, Lester, Dennis, Pat, Cecil and Curtis; and sisters, Carol and Edna.
Services were held on Nov. 25-26, 2022.
Please share memories of Lavonne with her family at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
