Barbara "Bobbi" Richards

Barbara "Bobbi" Richards, age 67, of Garnett, Kansas, passed away on Wednesday, March 26, 2014, at Anderson County Long Term Care in Garnett. She was born on February 4, 1947, in Topeka, Kansas, the second daughter of Robert and Althea (Robertson) Mattix. She grew up in Garnett, graduating from Garnett High School in 1965. In 1969, after graduating from the University of Kansas, she taught at the Boy's Reform School in Topeka. The following year, on May 31st, she married Steve Richards, also a Garnett native. They shared 44 wonderful years together, full of life, love and travel. In their free time, they enjoyed playing pitch, camping, going to casinos, attending KU football games despite the Jayhawks' perennial doormat status, and traveling frequently - having spent more than 60 days on Caribbean cruises amongst many other memorable trips. On June 24, 1977, she gave birth to her son Kyle in Little Rock, Arkansas. The following year the family was transferred to Tokyo, Japan for two years where Bobbi wore out the tires on Kyle's stroller since they did not have a vehicle. After stints in Wilton, Connecticut and Shreveport, Louisiana, they returned in 1989 to the family residence in Garnett. Always energetic and upbeat, Bobbi was known by friends and family for her tireless work ethic managing the family budget, assisting others with projects, helping people move or cleaning relentlessly so they would get their full deposit back, as well as creating games (some more popular than others) for the family to play during special gatherings and holiday get-togethers. A lifelong Jayhawk fanatic, Bobbi would frequently drive Steve and Kyle crazy by also rooting vigorously for the KSU Wildcats (when the two teams were not playing)- where she studied for an undergraduate semester before ultimately graduating from KU. She is survived by her husband Steve; son Kyle and his wife Briana of Alexandria, Virginia; her sister Debbie Haskins and brother-in-law Robert Haskins of Olathe, Kansas; three cousins the same as sisters - Patsy (Fagg) Spillman of Kincaid; Pam (Fagg) Holman of Welda; and Sherri (Robertson) Hanson of Minneapolis, Minnesota; her "other son", Jake Shipley of Lawrence, Kansas; as well as many nieces and nephews. Memorial services will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, April 19, 2014 at the First Christian Church, Garnett. The family will greet friends following the services at the church. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Christian Church or to the Kansas University Medical Center Oncology Clinic, and may be sent in care of the funeral home, Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, PO BOX 408, Garnett, KS 66032. Condolences may be left for the family at www.feuerbornfuneral.com