2/15/1932 – 3/21/2026
Lawrence
On March 21, 2026, Cheri Ann (DuPree) Richardson passed away at the age of 94, on her own terms, in her cute little apartment in Lawrence, Kansas. Cheri was born in rural Noble County, Oklahoma on February 15, 1932. She was the only daughter of Edward “Eddie” and Hazel (Johnson) DuPree. She graduated from Stillwater High School in 1950.
Cheri was the little sister of James “Jim”, Woody and Jerry DuPree. She was lovingly called “Sis” by her three big brothers. She married the man she loved, Harvie Richardson, on June 12th, 1949, in the Governor’s Suite of Hotel Yancey in Grand Island, Nebraska. They were united for sixty years until death separated them. They had one daughter, Monica Lynn Richardson.
Cheri was the family Home Executive and known for keeping a perfect house and making delicious baked goods that she loved sharing with others. She was a valued employee at many banks in many states. She had numerous opportunities to perfect her superlative home decorating style as the family moved frequently for Harvie’s career– a fact which may have more than slightly vexed her and about which she famously said, “There are a lot of twists and turns in (your) life. Especially if you’re living it.”
Nonetheless, anyone who ever crossed a threshold over which she presided would have agreed that she always created exquisitely clean, orderly and welcoming households and that she graciously shared these households with any guest lucky enough to find their way to her doorstep. She was adept at quilting and sewing; she enjoyed canning too. When her two grandchildren were young, she took great joy in making special watermelon rind pickles for each.
She had a passion for antiquing and thrifting and she had what some might call “a good eye for quality.” She was tremendously tough and once drove herself to her hairdresser’s home after having broken her back in an auto accident. Well into her elderly years, she could be found moving 30lbs buckets around the barn.
Cheri loved to read and was disappointed that she lost that ability in her later years. She most certainly, however, did not lose her sharp wit. She could fire off a quick, incisive comment that would stop you in your tracks, laughing. Cheri loved her pets, especially her many Black Standard Poodles (a string of which accompanied her through more than five decades of her life) and her cat, Kitty Baby, who was with her until the end.
After Harvie died in 2009, Cheri took over the family business selling the horse supplement, Breathe Eze, and successfully ran the enterprise with Monica’s help, well into Cheri’s eighties. Most folks thought of her as tiny, mighty, vibrant, sweet and pragmatic. Above all else, it must be said that despite the hardships life threw at her, she remained, to the very last of her days, remarkably and astoundingly resilient.
Cheri will be missed by the loved ones she left: her daughter Monica Lynn Richardson of Stillwater, Oklahoma; granddaughter Joni Timms, husband Daniel Timms, and great-grandsons Ridley and Liam Beard all of Lawrence, Kansas; and her grandson Brady Hybsha of El Reno, Oklahoma. Cheri also leaves behind other family, friends and several kind and eminently capable women who helped care for her in the last of her days.
The family invites you to join them for graveside services on June 16, 2026, at 10 am at Fairlawn Cemetery in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Cheri’s honor to Stillwater Humane Society at https://hspets.org/ or to Lawrence Meals on Wheels at www.lawrencemow.org. To leave a message for Cheri’s family, please visit www.Rumsey-Yost.com.
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