Joan Edwina Hunt Richardson

"Joan Edwina Hunt Richardson was born in Estill County on May 6, 1948 to the late Edward and Viola Powel Hunt. She lived in Estill County all of her life and dedicated much of that life to public service in her beloved home. Her many friends would say that Joan was a compassionate person who cared deeply for her fellow citizens and worked hard to better the community during her nearly 20 years of service as a Ravenna City Councilwoman. Estine Tipton, mayor of Ravenna served on the Ravenna City Council and considered Mrs. Richardson a good friend says “Like me she wanted to see Ravenna be a beautiful place. She was a great volunteer for the city”.

Ms. Richardson began her career in public service in 1994 as a Ravenna City council woman and was integral in establishing the Veterans Memorial at the Ravenna City Park. Gardening was a passion of Joan’s and she donated many hours volunteering her services every year helping out with the gardening and landscaping at the park and at Ravenna City Hall.

Joan was a 27 year veteran of the Estill County school system where she worked as a cook and later a teacher’s aide. In addition to helping children with their education she served as a Sunday school teacher for decades at her church, the Irvine First Church of God. Joan was also an active volunteer for the Marcum and Wallace Memorial Hospital where she served as a greeter and an involved member of the Hospital Auxiliary Board. She was a graduate of the LEAP Leadership Program, a Kentucky Colonel and a member of the Estill County Homemakers. Ms. Richardson’s giving spirit of volunteerism and community service had a great impact on her fellow citizens and especially her family.

Joan married her husband, James Richardson, who also served on the Ravenna City council, in 1969 and the couple lived in Ravenna for 40 years. They raised two children, a daughter, Rebecca (Owen) Barker and a son, James W. Richardson III. Ms. Richardson was a beloved grandmother who doted on her grandson, Ryan Freeman, making a point to be at all his ball games and being a “taxi-service” for Ryan and his friends, running them to and fro.

Family and community service weren’t her only interests. Joan loved to travel and spent much of her free time seeing the world with her friends. She traveled to Hawaii, Alaska and California in the years before her death and visited as many lighthouses as possible; which was a special interest for her. Her friends would describe her as a person who had a great love of life and put effort into getting the most out of her life on a daily basis. Joan was a positive, smiling force of compassion. Her dear cousin, Terri Williams, describes Joan as a person “who never once complained about her four and a half month battle with pancreatic cancer. Joan never faltered with her faith in God, her sweet spirit, or her beautiful smile.” Ms. Richardson passed away on June 27, 2013 and will always be remembered for what she stood for, her desire to make Ravenna and Irvine a better and more beautiful place to live." - From Joan Richardson Estill County Hall of Honor Induction, 2013, as viewed 10/11/20 at [1]