Timothy Richardson

His Life’s Reflection

Timothy Richardson, 73, passed away on May 20, 2019, in Overland Park, Kansas.  He was born on July 24, 1945 in Kansas City, Kansas to Ozie Franklin and LaVerne Holmes.  He was raised by Paul Frederick Richardson Jr. and LaVerne Holmes Richardson and was the eldest of five siblings. Tim grew up in Kansas City, Kansas and accepted Christ at an early age.  He graduated from Wyandotte High School in 1963.  He attended college at the University of Kansas in Lawrence and received an Honorary Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism.  He was a member of the Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and was recently honored as a Distinguished Fifty-Year Member. 

Tim had been a professional broadcaster since 1969 and was inducted into the Media Is Global Hall of Fame in 2009 by the United Minority Media Association (UMMA). His career path included the ABC, NBC and CBS network affiliates in Kansas City, plus the powerful Metromedia Independent station WTTG-TV in Washington, DC.  He also worked for the Executive Office of the President of the United States during the terms of three different Presidents, where he was a special media consultant in Public and Congressional Affairs. During this time, he worked for the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Kansas City region of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Most people in Kansas City know Tim as Channel 9’s “Action Reporter,” where people’s problems were put in touch with solutions. The series was a regular feature of the 6:00 P.M. and 10:00 P.M. newscasts. During Tim’s five-year tenure as “Action Reporter,” they handled more than 250,000 viewer complaints involving government and business. It was one of the first and most successful consumer television segments in the country.

Tim was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and LaVerne Richardson; his father, Ozie Franklin and his brother, Paul “Ricky” Richardson III.

He is survived by his former wives, Shirlyn Lomax Richardson and Dr. Linda Cloud Richardson; his sons, David Richardson (Veda); Barton Richardson (Andrea); of Kansas City, Kansas and Lamont Richardson (Tanesha) of Orlando, Florida; his siblings, Paula Ivy; Cathy Anderson; Mattie Sherman (Tyrone) all of Kansas City, Kansas; Carolyn Dudley (Lawrence) of Dallas, Texas; Marvalyn Jones (Frederick) of Shreveport, Louisiana; Janet Park of Kansas City, Missouri; his aunt, Janeria Phillips of Kansas City, Kansas; his sister-in-law, Gayle Holliday Richardson; his grandchildren, Adoria (Cedric); David II; Cadence; Amya; Donovan; Kamea and Kai all of Kansas City, Kansas; Layla and Loren of Orlando, Florida; his great-grandchildren, Cayden and Jace of Kansas City, Kansas and many other relatives and friends.

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