Mary Elise Richardson

Mary Elise Richardson passed away September 28, 2020, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.  Elise was born March 11, 1936, in Butler, Pennsylvania to Thomas Eugene Brown and Dorothy Anita Dillich.  Elise is survived by her children Kevin Richardson (Mary), Lisa Bolkey-Daniel (Tim) and Erica Kemmerley Stinebower (Nathan).  Elise is also survived by her granddaughters Amanda Snider, Ciara Pias, Jordyn Kemmerley and Taylor Bolkey, and her great granddaughter Scarlett Pias.  Elise is preceded in death by her husband Donald Richardson, her parents, her dear grandmother Mamere, and her younger siblings Elmer and Samantha Brown.

The two things in this world in which Elise was most proud of was her family and her career - in that order.

In 1959, Elise graduated from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, then in 1983, she graduated from Purdue University in Hammond, Indiana with a BSN-Nurse Practitioner Degree.  Elise worked throughout her life at several different hospitals in different states starting as a staff nurse, but was always quickly moved up in the ranks to the Head Nurse, Nursing Supervisor, Clinical Manager, and then ultimately the Director of Nursing.  After Elise obtained her advanced degree from Purdue, she worked at the University of Chicago as a Nurse Practitioner in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit.  Once her children were grown, Elise obtained her Gerentology Certification and started her own consulting business known as Nursing Trends, Inc.  As a consultant, Elise would go into long term care facilities that were going to be shut down by the state, and she would work round the clock for weeks on end, re-vamping their systems, developing new care plans and hiring and firing employees to bring the facility up to standards so as to prevent a shut down.  Elise was on the Who’s Who in American Nursing list for several years and was recognized by her colleagues as a top professional in her field.  Elise excelled in her career as a result of her hard work and determination, but also because she had a warm and comforting heart and helping and caring for people was who she was naturally.  Anyone who ever talked to Elise would be instantly attracted to her warm and comforting way with people.  She had a way of making people feel heard and important.

Elise’s family was the most important thing to her and she loved them endlessly.  She was very proud of each and every one of her children and grandchildren.  Elise was affectionately known by her family as “Popo”.  She was a very powerful matriarch and led her family until her last day on earth.  It was very important to Popo to teach her children and grandchildren very important life lessons and led by example from singing in the church choir and endless Bible study; feeding homeless, sick and recently widowed people; girls’ trips and  family vacations; making a chore list for the children and enforcing her rules with love; holiday traditions, Christmas morning PJ’s and annual cookie bakes; making time to do fun stuff with her children even when she had no sleep and had a Chemistry test in the morning; and hosting fabulous dinners and cocktail parties, while never letting anybody leave her home hungry.  Being an independent woman was also very important to Popo and she raised a whole family of very independent and strong girls (and a boy!).  Popo also taught each and every one of her children the importance of being a loving, supportive and present parent.  Hands down, Popo always put her family first above all else in this world.  Elise was a powerful role model and the lessons she taught her family will be carried down from generation to generation. Popo will be dearly missed.

Arrangements are being handled by the caring professionals at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home where an online guest register is available at www.horancares.com.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Diabetes Association in Elise’s honor.  In light of the Pandemic, no service has been scheduled at this time, but will be held at a later date – details to be determined.