By Sterling McGinn
Rodney Richards, a Lakefield businessman, farmer and community leader died Thursday, April 23 at the age of 96.
Richards is remembered for being a hardworking and humbled individual who worked quietly behind the scenes to ensure community development and prosperity.
Richards was born in Manistique but had roots to Lakefield Township, where his ancestors were early pioneers. His parents, Walter and Erma (Bryers) Richards, operated a farm tractor and Maytag store in Manistique. They relocated to Lakefield in 1942.
Richards’ early education took place at Manistique Schools; he later attended the Smather’s School in West Lakefield and high school at the Lincoln School in McMillan. When McMillan closed their high school in 1946, Richards attended Newberry High School for his senior year. He graduated with the class of 1947.
Richards then took a short agriculture course at Michigan State University, finishing in 1949.
In 1951, Richards enlisted into the U. S. Army. He served in Japan during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged in 1953 as a Corporal and was a recipient of the Army Occupation Medal (Japan).
Richards married Helen Kalnbach, the daughter of Warren and Marquerite (Feneley) Kalnbach, on September 5, 1953. The couple had two children: Steve and Wendy.
Helen died on August 30, 2013, at the age of 81.
Rodney and Helen’s Hillcrest Farm on Luce County Road 413 was originally an experimental pea growing farm. The Richards farmed grain and hay and raised beef cattle, and started in egg production in 1958 with 350 hens.
In 1964, Rodney and Helen opened an egg factory on their farm with accommodations for 5,500 laying hens. They later expanded Hillcrest Farm adding a sales and service business of farming and lawn equipment.
In addition to working on the farm, Richards spent countless hours on commissions and boards in the region including the Cloverland Electric Board, Helen Newberry Joy Hospital Board, Luce County Board of Commissioners, Luce County EDC, EUP Regional Planning, and the EUP Transportation Authority.
While Richards was involved with local government, Luce County constructed a new government building and Newberry was able to secure a plant of the Louisiana Pacific (L.P.) Corporation.
Recognizing all the efforts in his decades of service, the LMAS District Health Department building was rededicated to the “Rodney L. Richards Center for Community Health and Economic Growth” on June 27, 2014.
In honor of his military service to the United States, Rodney, accompanied by his son Steve, participated in the Upper Peninsula Honor Flight on May 17, 2017. The flight took WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam Veterans to Washington, D.C. for the day to visit the memorials constructed in their honor.
Richards continued to work around his shop well into his nineties.
A visitation and funeral services and internment will take place this week. A gathering of family and friends will take place at Beaulieu Funeral Home on Wednesday, April 29 from 5 – 7 p.m. and again from 10 – 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 30. At 11 a.m., a celebration of life will take place at the funeral home. Richards will be interred at the West Lakefield Cemetery following the service.
