Lucile C. Richards

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Lucile “Toots” Chapman Richards died peacefully on April 16 at the Hospice Inn at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, surrounded by her family and with her companion dog, Diamond, at her feet. She was 83.

Lucile was the daughter of Irving A. and Lucile Gildersleeve Chapman of Portland, Conn. She was a graduate of Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Conn., and she attended the University of Bridgeport and Finch College in Manhattan.

Lucile’s life was filled with the joys of travel in the company of her family, with time spent on her beloved Martha’s Vineyard, with her passion for poetry, and with her progressive political convictions. She was especially interested in gun control issues, and she lobbied in support of the Brady Bill. She was an enthusiastic hostess who delighted in gift-giving and in organizing challenging games for family party-goers.

She was chairwoman of the Fresh Air fund in Greenwich, Conn. Lucile’s generosity extended well beyond her family. she was on the Board of Visitors of O.D. Heck Developmental Center, a longtime volunteer at Parsons Child and Family Center, and a frequent reader for WMHT’s RISE program.

Lucile was pre-deceased by her husband, Fletcher D. Richards Jr., her son, Peter Stanton Richards, her brother, Henry Stanton Chapman, and her sister, Jacqueline Chapman Guernsey.

Her survivors are Fletcher Doughitt Richards III, Victoria Chapman Davis, Deborah Darling Richards, Stephen Gildersleeve Richards, and Eliza Richards Wemyss. Also her grandchildren, Dylan Moore, Leah Palmer, Noah Nattell, Matty Freeman-Richards, Dayton Richards, Court Wemyss, Lauren Richards, Lucile Wemyss, and Fletcher Richards IV. And great-grandchildren, Jackson Tait, Lilly Palmer, Carmody Palmer, and Thomas Palmer.

Donations in Lucile’s memory may be made to Parsons Child and Family Center 60 Academy Road, Albany, NY 12208, Tel. 518-426-2600, (parsonscenter.org) and WMHT Educational Telecommunications, 4 Global View, Troy, NY 12180-8368, Tel. 518-880-3400, wmht.org.

A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, April 24, from 4 to 6 pm at 8 Wildwood Drive Loudonville, N.Y.

To leave the family a special message on their guest book, please visit McveighFuneralHome.com.