Willis Giles Richardson

Willis Giles Richardson was born on July 24, 1956, in Birmingham, AL and passed on August 10, 2025 at his home in Moon Township, PA after an eight-month struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

Willis joined the U.S. Air Force on June 3, 1974 as a Bomb Navigation System Mechanic for the B52 Stratofortress and after completing technical training at Lowry AFB, CO he was permanently assigned to Mather AFB, CA where in 1977 he met his wife Martha Lyford (Smick) Richardson,  After Willis chose to retrain and completed Air Traffic Control training at Keesler AFB, MS in 1978, Marty and Willis were jointly reassigned to Blytheville AFB, AR. They were married in Panama City, FL on July 11, 1981.  During his service, Willis was elevated to the rank of Staff Sergeant and received the NCO Professional Military Education Ribbon, the Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the National Defense Service Medal, the Air Force Good Conduct Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.

From Blytheville AFB, Willis was activated to Pittsburgh, PA as an Air Traffic Controller on August 3, 1981, for which he received the Humanitarian Service Medal. On February 28, 1983, he completed his military service and transitioned to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  Willis worked as a federal Air Traffic Controller at Pittsburgh International Airport for 35 years until his retirement in July 2012.

Willis enjoyed audio/video engineering, carpentry, mechanical and logical challenges and was an avid collector – of everything.  He was a certified locksmith and delighted in road trips when they were on his schedule. As a general jack-of-all-trades, he explored and perfected new skills out of personal interest or to assist others.  His children were regular beneficiaries of his mechanical expertise, and he passed on his love of motorcycle riding and fascination with history to his son, John.  His passion for music was shared with his youngest daughter Ava, and his love of literature with his eldest daughter Alexandra. He was a uniquely talented person whose varied interests made him friends everywhere.

Willis and Marty thoroughly enjoyed their military connections and life together raising their family and frequenting the Florida Keys for cocktails; planning and dreaming on the Key Largo waterfront of what was yet to come. Willis always had some words of wit about some shit (WOWASS™).

Willis was predeceased by his parents, Giles Andrew Richardson and Betty Jean (Hosey) Fugatt, his sisters, Doris (Richardson) Prestidge and Samantha (Richardson) Hannah, and his brothers, John and Charles Richardson.  He is survived by his wife Martha Lyford Richardson, his three children Alexandra Steele, John Cameron, and Ava Townsend Richardson, and his sister Patricia (Richardson) Powell.  He will be interred with military honors in a private ceremony at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies on August 18th, 2025.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his name to the charitable organizations Tunnel to Towers (T2T) or the ALS Foundation.