Howard E. Richardson

Howard’s services will be livestreamed below

Howard Eugene Richardson was born May 5, 1942, to Harold and Luretta Richardson on the family farm in Columbia, SD. The 6th of 9 children, he loved to say, “I’m just a poor SD farm boy”. There may not have been a lot of money, but their house was filled with love, and Howard did his very best to entertain and annoy all those around him. He graduated from Columbia High School in 1960. In the fall of 1964, he met Gerry Voorhees at a street dance in Hecla, SD. After a whirlwind courtship of about 3 months, they were married on February 21, 1964. What followed was quite the love story that never stopped until Gerry’s unexpected death on May 8, 2022. By that time Howard was already experiencing many signs of dementia, so the loss of his wife and having to move to a nursing home were not completely understandable to him, so hopefully he didn’t suffer as much as the rest of us.

After Howard and Gerry married, they lived in Bath Corner, SD. Howard worked for Farmers Union gas station. After they were blessed with their daughter Sara, he had the opportunity to transfer to Fargo, ND with Mobil Oil, so the SD kids took off in a blizzard and started their next adventure! Howard worked hard to provide for his family, which expanded to include daughters, Sally and Sonya and son, Scott. He went on to work for Quality Bakery and Otto Shine. In 1976, a new station was built on a vacant lot at 32nd Ave N and Broadway, The General Store for Howard to manage. He managed that store (which later became Mini Mart and Loaf & Jug) until his retirement. Howard was the face of the store and there likely wasn’t a kid on the Northside, that grew up in the 80’s or 90’s that didn’t know Howie, the friendly bearded guy!

Besides his family and work, his other passion was racing cars and drinking cold beer. He even drove race cars with Old Milwaukee cans screwed on top of the roof. He raced in SD, West Fargo, Lisbon, and Glyndon from the late 1960’s until he finally gave it up completely in 2007. He always said he didn’t have the best or most expensive car, but he knew how to drive, so he could keep the “hot dogs” behind him.

Howard’s most valued blessing was family, and we will deeply miss him. He instilled in us the greatest gifts we could have asked for: honesty, hard work, kindness, and good humor. Whether you knew him as Howard, Howie, King of the North, The Great White Hope, The Bearded Guy, Dad, Grandpa, Brother, Uncle, Friend, or just that funny guy, he made an impact on everyone he met, and he was a true treasure. Howard passed away with a smile on his face on January 15, 2026.

Survived by his children-Sara (Andy) Mack, of Buxton, ND, Sally Hamilton, of Fargo, ND, Sonya Kiehl, of Fargo, ND, son, Scott (Carla) Richardson, Pelican Rapids, MN; 8 grandchildren, Tony (Emily) Mack, Spencer (Camri)Mack, Danielle (Jamey) Glewwe, Tatiana (Joseph) Hackman, Caden Kiehl, Dustin Kiehl, Hannah Richardson, Cale Richardson; great-grandchildren, Reese, Blakely, Cayson, Easton, TJ, and Henry. Siblings- Marilyn Hoops and Ruby Larson, of Groton, SD and John (Roslyn) Richardson, Aberdeen, SD, and many nieces and nephews.

Preceded in death by his wife, Gerry, his parents, and siblings- Jim, David, Lila, Minerva, and Donna.

Visitation will be 5:00-7:00 pm on Friday, February 20, 2026, at Boulger Funeral Home, Fargo with Celebration of Life, at 7:00 pm.

Funeral will be 2:00 pm on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at Faith United Methodist Church, Fargo. We will raise a toast to Howard at Labby’s in Fargo after the funeral. February 21 would have been his 62nd wedding anniversary.

Special thank you to HIA Hospice and SMP-St Catherine’s South for taking such great care of Howard. So in lieu of flowers memorials can be sent to the family of Howard at 410 29th Avenue N, Fargo, ND 58102 or HIA Hospice.