Henry Burchill Richardson Jr., 72, died Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015, in Sumter.
Born in 1943 in Charleston, he was a son of the late Sen. H.B. Richardson Sr. and Thelma Seigler Richardson. He received an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of South Carolina. He was a graduate of the USC School of Law, the Palmetto Military Academy, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. While in law school, he was a member of the S.C. Law Review, which published three of his articles. He was also a member of the Order of the Wig and Robe scholastic honor society there.
After law school, Mr. Richardson was employed at and later became a partner at the law firm of Richardson, James and Player in Sumter, for about 30 years. He served as the first Disciplinary Counsel for the Supreme Court of South Carolina and first full-time attorney for the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.
Mr. Richardson was a well-respected attorney in Sumter and the state of South Carolina.
He had a history of volunteering and participating in various service groups and other organizations. He was a member and chaired the L. Arthur O'Neal Education Fund, the Salvation Army Board, the Boys Club Advisory Council, the Field Artillery Society of South Carolina and the National Guard Association of South Carolina. Mr. Richardson was a member and on the boards of the Sumter County Historical Commission and Historical Society, the Society of the High Hills of the Santee and the Society of St. Marks and a member of the American Legion Post 15. For religious worship, Mr. Richardson attended St. Marks Episcopal Church.
He had noteworthy military participation with more than 32 years of military service in the South Carolina Army National Guard that included detachment, company, battalion and brigade commands while retiring as a General of field artillery. He participated in the Partnership for Peace program with the Albanian Army. Also, he was inducted into the Military Hall of Fame. Mr. Richardson's military awards and distinctions include the Legion of Merit.
He had an avid interest in military history and board war games. He enjoyed shag dancing and was a member of the Sumter Shag Club. He also loved storytelling and cooking on the grill.
Survivors include his widow, Martha Corbett Richardson of Lexington; a lifelong friend and former wife, Lynne C. Richardson of Columbia; his son, Henry Burchill Richardson III of Sumter; his daughter, Elisa Richardson Walsh and her husband, Warren, of Asheville, North Carolina; two grandchildren, Gary Warren Walsh III and Preston Doyle Walsh; a brother, Phillip Courtney Richardson and his wife, Sandy, of Sumter; a niece, Christina Courtney Richardson of Sumter; and a nephew, Phillip Courtney Richardson Jr. and his wife, Callison, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
A visitation for family and friends will be held between 1 and 3 p.m. and the funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at Bullock Funeral Home, 1190 Wilson Hall Road, Sumter. An interment for family and close friends will be held immediately after the funeral at St. Marks Episcopal Church in Pinewood.
The Sumter County Sheriff's Office Honor Guard will serve as the pallbearers and the members of Sumter County Sheriff's Office will serve as the honorary pallbearers.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests any memorial contributions be made to St. Marks Episcopal Church in Pinewood, c/o Vicki Saunders, 3455 Kel Sam Drive, Dalzell, SC 29040, or to the Wounded Warriors Project, P. O. Box 758517,Topeka, Kansas 66675.
You may sign the family's guest book at www.bullockfuneralhome.com.
The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home of Sumter for the arrangements.
