BRATTLEBORO-Much of southern Vermont is remembering the impact of the life of Ann (Annie) Richards, who died unexpectedly on Oct. 11 at the age of 45.
A proud Vermonter whose family roots dated back to the mid-1700s, Richards, who had a private practice as a family psychiatric nurse practitioner in child and adolescent mental health, created a life of service to others.
Friends say she leveraged her desire to consistently build community and made a walloping impact that will leave a huge hole in the town in which she was born.
"She was 4-foot-6, but she left her mark on this town," said her mother, Liz Richards, as she spoke softly about her youngest child. "Her whole world was her clients, the children she served, her family, and her many friends.
"Children would often ask her to come to their birthday parties, and more than one would say to their parent in the office, 'Can Annie come and sleep over at our house?'" her mother continued.
A woman of astonishing energy and an avid volunteer, Annie Richards was a member of the diversion board of Interaction (formerly Youth Services), part of the multidisciplinary team for Windham County Safe Place, a board member of the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance, and a corporator of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. She touched many other local organizations as she worked to bring people together throughout Windham County.
Described by friends and family as kind, unflappable, empathetic, giving, and nonjudgmental, accepting anyone as they are, Richards made a mammoth impact.
'I enter the child's world'
In a 2017 interview on BCTV's Here We Are, Richards talked with host Wendy O'Connell about participating in the community.
"I work with community partners and believe in a wraparound, multidimensional approach with kids," she said. "I'm out in the community; I'm working with many community groups. I approach children holistically: their physical health, their mental health, their community connections, and family."
Throughout her career, Richards, who was also an advanced practice registered nurse and mental health nurse practitioner, touched the lives of children and their families through her work with a number of government and nonprofit social service agencies, among them HCRS, Head Start, the Winston Prouty Center, and the Vermont Department of Children and Families.
"I take a non-directive approach in my work," Richards told O'Connell. "I enter the child's world. It's not the other way around. My space is bright and welcoming, which can be a blessing and a curse - because it's so welcoming, many children don't want to leave!" she said, laughing.
"I've always taken a play-based approach to my work," she said.
Richards compartmentalized her colorful and child-friendly workspace into areas of dramatic play, art, music, puppetry, and costume and said that she would make sure that at least one of the costumes in her office fit her so that she could join the child in their play.
When creating a world for her young clients, she made one area look like a court of law. The area included a large judge puppet who bore a striking resemblance to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Richards would sometimes be called into venues for consulting that would require her to prepare children for change - for happy occasions like an adoption, or for trauma like a court event.
The confidential nature of these work experiences meant that she could not share a great deal of this aspect of her work, even with family or close friends.
These stories came as a surprise, said her brother, Drew Richards, who has been astonished by the number of people who have reached out to the family, expressing to him their experiences with his sister.
"In the past week, people have told us how she has touched their families and their children's lives," he said.
Vermont state troopers and members of the Brattleboro Police arrived at the Richards family home the day she died.
Drew Richards said that when he arrived at the family home within a half an hour of being notified of his sister's passing, "there were state troopers, investigators, and police working through their standard procedures."
"What struck me was that every single one of them had known and worked with Annie," he said. "She advocated for children, testified as an expert witness. She played a role in the mental health scene that was significant in a demographic that is sometimes overlooked but is so important."
He said he is "just now learning about what she did professionally."
"I was her brother and a friend, and I thought I knew what she did for a living, but now I'm learning so much more that I never knew about her life work," Drew Richards continued.
Annie Richards's eldest brother, Peter, agreed.
"I was calling a business and making an appointment this week when the person on the other end of the phone asked me, 'Are you Annie's brother?" She went on to say how my sister had helped her child open up and facilitated her to become a better parent," he said.
"She helped folks realize their potential in such a meaningful way that I couldn't have understood before she died, through an ability to listen, care, and understand another person's point of view," Peter Richards added.
'Never seen as different'
When meeting Annie Richards, the first thing people would likely notice would be her physical appearance.
Richards was born with a right side of her body that failed to develop. Her torso did not mature fully, and her right arm never grew to be more than 9 inches long. Her rib cage and spine were compromised, and her right lung wasn't functional.
"She wasn't a 6-foot amazon - she was physically smaller than some of the children with whom she worked," Liz Richards says. "I think that was a part of her magic with children. She was their size."
At Annie Richards's funeral Mass on Oct. 19 at St. Michael's Catholic Church on Walnut Street, Drew Richards explained this aspect of his sister which was noticeable, but rarely discussed.
"My earliest memories of Annie were as a baby in a bouncer in our kitchen, propped up in front of the wood stove," he recounted. "While I knew she looked different, I really had no concept that those were differences that mattered. She laughed and smiled and talked.
"We traveled and did things as a family," Drew Richards said. "We never put a label on her, she was just 'Annie.'"
Her mother described the constellation of the boys with whom she played and who surrounded her daughter.
"There were the physical things that would slow her down, but her two brothers cut her no slack," she said. "All her cousins were boys, as she was the only granddaughter in our family. It never mattered. She always held her own."
"Annie was a very special part of our lives," said Faith Evans, a close family friend and neighbor whose children were close in age to Peter, Drew, and Annie Richards. "They spent a lot of time together at our house," she said.
"What always stood out to me was how naturally children accepted Annie," Evans said. "They saw her determination, intelligence, and strength. Annie was an inspiration to kids - they looked up to her for the way she lived her life with such independence and grace."
Evans's daughter Emily agreed, noting that Annie was "never seen as different, and that was a valuable lesson she gave to others."
Peter Richards said his little sister, six years younger than he, "could not change her physical challenges."
"That said, Annie could make you laugh, she could make you smile, she could make you see humor in a situation that may not have seemed all that humorous initially," he continued. "She drew deeply from that reservoir of wisdom. She understood what was out of her control and what was firmly in her control, and with that wisdom, she built a life she loved."
Halloween queen
Most recently, her mother noted how much "Annie was looking forward to Halloween, "which she just adored."
As Liz Richards spoke with The Commons, she began to open a few packages for her daughter that had recently arrived, revealing the costume she planned to wear this year.
"Apparently, Annie had plans to be the character Anxiety from the Disney film Inside Out 2," said Richards with a deep laugh as she surveyed the costume's big orange mouth, huge teeth, and bulging eyes.
"This one was going to be perfect for her profession," said her mother chuckling. "The kids will really miss seeing her this year."
Annie Richards's office was near St. Michael's School, and during the annual Halloween Parade, the entire school would cross the street to visit her, and each student would return with bags of candy.
The younger Richards also filled Halloween gift bags for the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance's Turquoise Bag Project, which she filled with little treats other than candy for youngsters who required an alternative to the usual sugar rush or had allergies or sensory challenges. She wanted all to be able to participate in the joy of the day.
"She was our Halloween queen," said Downtown Brattleboro Alliance Executive Director Kate Trzaskos.
Liz Richards said that her daughter was already prepared for the holiday.
"I've already told them that they don't need to purchase anything this year - little boxes of goodies have been arriving for weeks," she said. "Annie thought about the children all the time and found such joy in the items she purchased for those special bags."
Incredible wisdom, incredible spirit
Trzaskos also noted that Richards was one of the DBA's longest serving board members, and said that "her impact is hard to put into words."
She described Annie Richards as "not just a colleague, she was a co-conspirator of crazy ideas [who] loved to laugh and joke around and always led with her heart and generosity."
Peter Richards continues to draw inspiration from his sister as he comes to grip with a loss that will affect "not just me, but so many others."
"Annie was probably about one half my size physically," he said. "If I can ultimately end up being one half the person she is, I will be honoring her incredible wisdom and spirit in the most genuine way."
Mark Richards, Annie's father, agrees.
"She was the light of our lives for the past 45 years and will continue to be our inspiration forever," he said.
This News item by Fran Lynggaard Hansen was written for The Commons.