Larry Lee Richie

Larry Lee Richie, 68, of Middlebourne, WV, passed away quietly in the presence of his loving family on Thursday, June 14, 2012, at 8 p.m. at Weztel County Hospital in West Virginia. He had been ill for just a year and a half. Born January 23, 1944, in Danville, PA, he was the son of the late Maude and Clarence Richie. A sister, Miriam Leisenring, preceded him in death. Larry attended Ralpho Twp. schools in Elysburg, PA graduating with the Class of 1961. He remembered with fondness his high school years and fellow students. He earned a BS in Education at Bloomsburg University and a Masters in Education at Bucknell University. Larry taught Social Studies 13 years in the Danville School District before going "back to the land" in Tyler County, West Virginia, in 1979. He lived six years in a refurbished root cellar without electricity or running water and built a rustic new home in the woods with his wife and friends. New WV friends introduced him to "old time music" and square dancing and he added the fiddle to his musicianship skills that already included the piano, guitar and clarinet. In 1986, Larry returned to the teaching profession at Sistersville High School. He began a wrestling program at SHS and carried it over to the new Tyler Consolidated High School in 1994. "Wrestle For Fun" was his trademark style of coaching. He always ended his long-running wrestling column in the Tyler Star News with those words. He retired from teaching in 2010. A beloved friend and choir director of the First Presbyterian Church in Sistersville, he was an assistant teacher for the adult Sunday school class. He delighted in acting in community theater at the Lincoln Theater and singing with a barbershop choir. Larry embodied good nature and good humor, and a life quietly led with deep, abiding Christian faith. Larry is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Grier Morrison Richie; daughters, Lori Baronner of Pittsburgh, PA; and Dawn (Aaron) Rospendowski of Seattle, WA; sons, Elijah Richie and fiance, Ashley Barardi, of Columbus, OH; and Isaiah Richie and wife, KayCee, of Middlebourne; grandsons, Benjamin Baronner and Jonathan Rospendowski and granddaughter, Bella Rospendowski. Visitation will be Sunday, June 17 2012 from 1 to 2 p.m. with a memorial service at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Sistersville with Rev. Colleen Griffith officiating. In lieu of flowers, please post a memory of Larry at myersfuneralhomewv.com.