Elouise Richardson

Elouise B. Richardson went to be with her Savior on February 4, 2013. Born in 1919 she had a long and good life. She is survived by daughters, Aileen Ostendorff of Little Rock and Kate Richardson of Portland, Oregon. Her Memorial is set for Saturday, Feb 16th at the home of Kirk and Susie Tompkins, 4512 Carter Lane, Little Rock, 72223. Interment will follow in Los Angeles.
Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, (501)224-2200. Ms. Richardson's online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.
Elouise Bidwell, the third of six children, was born on a humble farm in Kentucky. Mother loved to talk about her happy humble life. We would watch "Little House on the Prairie" and she would remark of how her life was much like that-simple, happy, a struggle to make ends meet. She loved her life and enjoyed school and was determined to become a nurse. Since she had no source of financial help, she went to one of the "rich" families in town and borrowed the money to go to Nashville to nurse's training.
Her first paycheck went to pay back her benefactor. While at school, she met Wilbur Richardson at a dance. Her roommate and friend, Margaret and her boyfriend, Robert, introduced them. The couples remained life-long friends. Wilbur and Elouise were quickly in love and they just couldn't wait to get married. So one Sunday night after church, they all piled into Robert's car and headed for the Alabama state line where they could get married. They had to keep the marriage a secret for some little time until she graduated from nurse's training. Amazing! That was August 31, 1941. First daughter, Beverly, was born in 1942. Eight years later, Kathleen and Aileen surprised them that there were two babies in the womb! In 1955, the family moved to Southern California to get away from the hot summers and cold winters of Missouri. Wilbur worked in the aerospace industry, which enabled him not to travel and to make family and church a priority.
California suited them and they enjoyed many happy years there until Wilbur's death in 1983. In 1992, Elouise sold the family home and moved to Fresno to be near Beverly and her family. Mother had her little "dream cottage" there and enjoyed ladies' Bible study, Bridge and walking. After Beverly's sudden death in a motorcycle accident, she move to Little Rock to live near Aileen.
Elouise lived to see so much change in her lifetime. She was an amazing wife and mother. She loved her husband, her Lord and her children well. Truly, she lived a life with few regrets, eager to go home to her Savior, and to her family already there. We will miss her greatly but we were glad to let her go. Her 93 plus years had become difficult years with increasing dementia.
John Newton said, "I am still in the land of the dying; I shall be in the land of the living soon." Momma is in the land of the living. Praise God for His goodness in giving Elouise to us!