Glen E. “Smokie” Richardson

Posted

(Mar. 20, 2009)

Glen E. “Smokie” Richardson, age 81, died Friday, March 20 at West Park Hospital in Cody.

He was born in Peru, Ind., to Fred and “Dode” Richardson on July 22, 1927.

At age 16, he boxed in the Golden Gloves tournament in Chicago, and at 17, he joined the Marine Corps. He served in Japan in World War II. After his discharge, he returned to high school in Peru. He received All-State honors for two years in both basketball and football.

He married Joan Smith and moved to Cody. The couple had four children, and Smokie worked for Marathon Oil until his retirement.

In 1949, he won the heavyweight boxing title in the Golden Gloves competition in Cody. As a hobby, he drove stock cars around Wyoming and Montana. He coached Little League baseball, and his team won the state championship in 1963.

He spent much of his spare time bowling, and his name is on the Bowling Hall of Fame wall at the Super Bowl in Cody. He went to the senior state bowling championship in 1992, traveling to Corpus Christie, Texas for the bowl-off.

He also coached girls softball and three-on-three basketball. His teams won a state championship and made a trip to the national championship in Boulder, Colo.

In 1973, he married Lois Bakke, who had four children, and they raised their eight children together.

Smokie is survived by his wife, Lois; children Rikki Richardson, Laurie (Don) Campbell and Allan Richardson; four step-children Freya (Daryl) Parrett, Karen Singer, Eric (Pansy) Bakke and Kris Suratt; 18 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; and two brothers and three sisters in Indiana.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Kim, and a sister, Doris.

Funeral services will be Thursday, March 26 at 2 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cody with Pastor Larry Vincent officiating. Cremation has taken place. The family requests donations be made to the Kidney Association of Wyoming.

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