JOHN RICHARDS

John P. Richards, 18, of Port Washington, Wisconsin, and formerly of Las Vegas, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, March 28, 2018. John was born May 17, 1999, in Las Vegas, the son of Jeff and Joanne Weitzer Richards. When John was four, the family moved to Port Washington, returning to Las Vegas in 2007. John enjoyed playing basketball and was involved with the youth league in Las Vegas. He attended Durango High School (2013-2015) before the family moved back to Port Washington, where John attended high school. John played basketball and ran track during his junior year and he graduated with honors from PWHS, class of 2017. He enjoyed gaming, especially the NBA2K Series and was a huge fan of the Star Wars movie franchise. John liked writing and wrote very creative, well-crafted stories throughout his entire life. In his free time, he lifted weights with his father, went on walks with his family and enjoyed spending time on the bluff in Port, relishing being outside in nature. John is survived by his parents, Jeff and Joanne of Port Washington, Wisconsin; grandparents, Ralph and Yvonne Weitzer; grandfather, Thomas (the late Gloryanne) Richards; and aunts and uncles, Laura Weitzer, Jeffrey Weitzer, Ken Richards, Philip (Jan) Richards, Robb (Linda Kennedy) Richards, Julie Richards and Karen Anderson. He is further survived by many cousins; as well as other family and friends in both Wisconsin and Las Vegas. Visitation will be 3-5 p.m. Friday, April 6, with service following, both at Eernisse Funeral Home, 1600 W. Grand Ave., Port Washington, WI 53074, (262) 284-2601. Father Patrick Wendt will preside. Memorials in John’s name are suggested to the PWHS Counselling Department, where John found mentorship and compassion from Mrs. Herlache, Mrs. Hess, and the rest of the counseling staff. Lastly, the family would like to thank Mrs. Floading, John’s Communications teacher, for recognizing his talent and encouraging him to express his creativity. The Eernisse Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.eernissefuneralhome.com The Southern Nevada Health District defined internal disaster in 2004 to limit emergency room diversion. It allows a hospital to shut down to ambulance traffic for issues like plant failure (including fire, flooding and power outages), inadequate staffing and capacity exceeding bed availability. It's mostly used for the latter and has become a tool that many hospitals use when they are overwhelmed.