George Norman Richardson III died Tuesday, March 24, 2026, of complications from a cardiac procedure. He was 82.
George was born on April 4, 1943, in Greenville, Texas. His parents were George N. Richardson Jr. and Laura (Walker) Richardson.
Among survivors are his wife, Kathleen (Fuhrman) Richardson of Belleville, Ill.; his daughter, Catherine R. “Katie” Richardson of St. Louis; and a son, David G. Richardson, of Magdalena, N.M. Another son, George N. “Beau” Richardson IV, died in 1981.
George began his 42-year career in journalism at the Kansas City Star. He spent a year at the University of Kansas School of Journalism as an instructor and adviser to the University Daily Kansan. He then went to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, where he was night editor. He joined the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1974. He began as a makeup and layout editor and later was the editor of the weekly “You” magazine. When he retired in 2005, he was the designer of the paper’s Metro sections.
Besides his family and friends, among George’s many interests were his 1984 BMW Police Special motorcycle, which he named Puff the Magic Dragon. A resident of Lafayette Square for 35 years, he worked tirelessly on the restoration of his family’s Victorian home and the transformation of its yard into an urban oasis. The house became a cushy home for retired racing greyhounds, which over the years numbered six. For many years George served lunch to homeless people on Thursdays at St. Vincent de Paul church in St. Louis. He was a lifelong fan of the Texas A&M Aggies.
Visitation will be from 9-10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at St. Vincent de Paul church, 1408 S. 10th Street in St. Louis, with a funeral service at 10:30 at the church. Burial will be at Oak Hill Cemetery in Kirkwood.
The family asks that any memorial donations be made to St. Vincent de Paul parish’s social outreach ministry or to help victims of last year’s tornado through Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, P.O. Box 952393, St. Louis, Mo. 63195-2393, with “tornado relief” in the memo field of a check. Donations also may be made at ccstl.org.
Services by KUTIS CITY CHAPEL (2906 Gravois Ave.)