John Richards
John Morgan Richards, 81 passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends on July 25, 2018 at Hospice of North Idaho. He was born on March 17, 1937 in Spokane, WA to John Smith and Ruth (Triplett) Richards.
Raised in Hayden Lake, he attended Hayden Lake Elementary then Coeur d’Alene High School. He graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Economics and earned his MBA from Harvard.
John married Joy Elaine (Hanson) Richards December 23, 1983 in Hayden Lake Idaho. During his life, John lived in North Idaho and California.
After completing his MBA, John joined the family business, Idaho Forest Industries, as Manager of Fernwood Tie Company in Fernwood, Idaho and then moved to St. Maries Plywood in St. Maries, Idaho. When St. Maries Plywood was sold to Potlatch Corporation, John was part of the deal, and spent the next 29 years with Potlatch to become Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board until his retirement in June of 1999.
John’s hobbies included golfing, hunting, fishing, skeet and trap, supporting Stanford Athletics, and pouring hours into jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, and Sudoku.
John was an active member of several organizations dear to his heart, serving as Chairman of St. Maries School Board, Director of Bay Area Boy Scouts, Director of Bay Area Junior Achievement, Chairman of Bay Area Invest in America, Idaho Supreme Court Advisors Council, University of Idaho President’s Advisory Panel, Director of Northern State Bank and Stanford University Athletic Board.
John, alongside his twin brother Tom, was inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame in 2014 for their outstanding leadership in the timber industry and generosity to the community. Both John and Tom received the Mulrooney Award in 2000 from the North American Wholesale Lumber Association (NAWLA).
John is survived by his wife of 34 years, Joy Elaine (Hanson) Richards of Hayden Lake; sons, John Smith Richards (Kelly) of Hayden and David James Richards (Kali) of Bellingham; daughter, Morgan Richards Dyer (Keanu) of Hayden; twin brother, William Thomas Richards (Sheila) of Hayden Lake; grandchildren, Mackenzie Shea Richards, John Colin Richards, Alexis Rose Dyer, with a fourth grandchild on the way; nephew, Thomas James Richards (Kirste) and niece, Karen Lynn Stubbs (Dave).
There will be a Celebration of Life, open to all, for John on Sunday August 5, 2018, 2pm-5pm at the Hayden Lake Country Club, 2362 E Bozanta Dr., Hayden Lake, ID 83835.
Our family kindly asks that if you wish to send flowers, please consider instead supporting one of these local causes that John loved so much: EXCEL Foundation There is a scholarship fund set up in John Richard’s name at The Excel Foundation. http://excelfoundation.org EXCEL Foundation, Inc. PO Box 2469 Coeur d’Alene, ID 83816 Contact: Kory Wilson (208) 772-4066 drkwils@gmail.com Kootenai Humane Society http://www.kootenaihumanesociety.com Kootenai Humane Society P.O. Box 1005 Hayden Idaho 83835 Critter Care Corporation of St. Maries http://www.crittercarecorporation.com crittercarecorp@gmail.com 208-245-3941
Yates Funeral Home is in care of the arrangements and you may visit John’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www. yatesfuneralhomes.com