AEC Member Turns 100
On April 6, 1922, Henry L. Richards was born to the late Lambert & Della Richards in the small town of Newark, Maryland. He was the youngest born of (9); preceded by (6) sisters – Agnes, Annie, Axie, Margie, Nettie, and Thelma; and (2) brothers – Booker and Harold. Tragically during Henry’s birth, their mother passed away due to complications. Before Grandma Della passed, one of her last requests was, “Take care of my baby”. As the baby boy of the family, Henry had plenty of protection with his older sister, Thelma, being the first in command. Thelma (whose name means “ambitious & willful”) and Henry (whose name means “ruler”) had a very special bond. The two siblings were even hospitalized together while they recovered from an outbreak of Typhoid Fever.
Henry often recounts his time in Newark with great fondness. It was a simple life indeed (with no electricity or appliances), but it was rich in family and togetherness. It was then and there that Henry learned from his father (or “Pop” as he called him) about the benefits of hard work. Henry’s father worked as a sharecropper and as a fireman for the Mason Tomato Factory in Newark. Somehow Lambert managed to raise and support (9) children as a single parent. Everyone in town knew that the Richards’ family was ambitious. By today’s standards it may not seem like much but Henry (nicknamed “Roebuck” after Sears & Roebuck for his business tenacity) would not shy away from filling a firewood box for 10 or 15 cents or shining shoes at the gas station to save up money for new clothes.
At the age of 14, Henry and Thelma left Newark from Cape Charles via the Virginia League ferry to go live with their older sister in Norfolk, Virginia. The city life took some getting used to and Henry was often singled out for being an “old country boy”. This period of acclimation did not last long, and Henry gradually grew accustomed to the new way of life in Norfolk with his toughness and work ethic.
In the 1940’s, Henry made his way to Philadelphia where he worked at the Navy Shipyard and the old Franklin Sugar Refinery. He then made his way South to Washington D.C., where he worked as the personal driver for the ambassador of China. Then, after a short time in Florida, he made his way back North where he decided to finally lay roots. Henry fell in love and married the late Esther Marie Ross, and in May of 1962 the couple were blessed with their only child, Cynthia Rosita Richards.
As a man of God, Henry was first baptized into the Seventh-Day Adventist church in 1951. He was baptized by Elder Dasey at Ebenezer Church (Philadelphia) but became a regular member of the North Philadelphia SDA Church, where he served as elder under the leadership of Pastor J.C. Smith. God ultimately led Henry to use his talents and experience to help grow the youngest (at the time) sister church in the Philadelphia area – Mizpah SDA. For nearly 20 years, Mizpah, led by the likes of such great evangelists as Charles D. Jenkins, remained Henry’s home. Henry has served in multiple capacities in the church ranging from AYS Leader to first Elder, to even choir member (he has a beautiful tenor voice).
While continuing to lay roots, God blessed Henry further with various successful business ventures including Real Estate, Retail and Interior/Exterior Decorating, all of which he owned and operated out of West Philadelphia for a combined total of more than 30 years. Even with his success, Henry often looked out for other family members by giving them employment opportunities and teaching them the trade that came naturally to him. Henry simply has a knack for beautifying anything that he touches. It is said that when Henry bought his first house in West Philadelphia, it was the “raggediest property on the block”. It did not take long for Henry to apply his signature decorating touches to create a home worthy of the attention of Better Homes and Gardens magazine (not once, but twice).
In 1978 Henry met the love of his life, Lauren Richards nee Rodney, when she happened to be visiting Philadelphia from New York one weekend. They were married the following year and the rest is history as it were. The couple were blessed with a son, Ricky, in 1980, followed by a daughter, Natasha, in 1981. This August, it will be Henry and Lauren’s 43rd wedding anniversary. One does not have to be around them that long to realize that they are a match made in heaven and the best of friends. Henry is truly the ultimate gentleman and to this day will open the door for his wife and ask her all the time if there is anything he can do to help her around the house.
Although he may be retired on paper, Henry has not and will never retire in spirit as you will find him “piddling around” as he likes to say, on any given day to keep busy. He is the proud father to daughters, Cynthia and Natasha; sons, Wayne and Ricky; grandfather to Regina, Leilani, Justin, Toni, Alex, Natalie, Aliah, and Nathalia; and great-grandfather to Lorene and Peyton.
Henry has resided with his wife, Lauren, in Wynnewood, PA for the past (38) years, and is a member of the East Lansdowne SDA Church.