Obituary of Norman A. Richards

Dr. Norman Arthur "Norm" Richards, 84, husband of the late Karin Heiberg Richards of Syracuse, died peacefully on December 23rd.  Norm was born April 11, 1935, in Kingston, NY, to Melvin L. and Ida M. Richards.

Norm earned his BS in Forestry from the NYS College of Forestry, now known as SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), his MS from Cornell, and his PhD also from the College of Forestry. He went on to serve a distinguished 35-year career as a Professor at SUNY ESF before retiring in 1997, continuing to teach occasionally in classroom, laboratory, and field settings in New York State and Maine. He advised as an expert in forestry for local citizen groups, for the City of Syracuse, and elsewhere domestically and internationally including in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Uganda. He also led a small family Christmas tree farm and sales business for many years, was an avid gardener, and was very active in organizations related to all of these areas. He had a strong interest in all environmental concerns, civil rights, and other social issues.

Norm is survived by sons: Paul (Heather) Richards of East Syracuse, Jeremy (Lisa) Richards of Ithaca; daughters: Lisa Kane of Syracuse, Erika Richards (Richard Boardman) of Marblehead, MA; and nine grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Karin Heiberg Richards and his son-in-law, Sean Kane. 

Services are private.

Memorial donations may be made to: Alzheimer's Association; or to the ESF College Foundation (with memo note “Tropical Social Forestry Fund”.)