Obituary of Jack B. Richardson

Jack Richardson, company president When a kid makes money by taking dares to dive off bridges into a river, then celebrates his 14th birthday with his U.S. Army unit in Italy during World War II, it follows that his adult life would be equally vibrant and intriguing. For Jack Richardson, that certainly was the case. Mr. Richardson rose from low-level business recruiter with no college diploma to become president and co-owner of Opportunity Consultants, Inc., an executive recruiting service last located in downtown Cincinnati. An Indiana native and Northern Kentucky resident since 1969, Mr. Richardson died Sunday at his Erlanger home. He was 78. "That old adage, no one was a stranger, well everybody he met liked him," his son, Jay Richardson, said Monday night. "My friends used to call him Hoss. Honest, fair to everyone. That was him." As for his dad's entry into the military at such a young age, his son said: "I'm not sure how that happened. His dad died a month before he was born, and he was raised by his mom and grandparents. He used to make money diving off bridges and trees. He was an avid swimmer." He also was an avid reader and fisherman, often taking trips to Canada and Florida because the local fish were not sufficiently challenging. His love of the water was lifelong, and for many years he owned boats. Born Jan. 30, 1928 in Veederburg, Ind., northwest of Indianapolis near the Illinois line, Mr. Richardson turned 14 during the first year of U.S. involvement in World War II. When he returned from the war, he studied for two years at Cumberland College in Kentucky and took work driving a Greyhound bus. Then, he sold furniture. The latter helped him find his calling: talking to people, helping them in business, making connections. He married Colinette Walton in 1950, and they were married 50 years until her death in 2000. In 1969, with three sons and three daughters all nearly grown, the family moved to Erlanger. For a time, he commuted between Cincinnati and Indianapolis. He was with Opportunity Consultants for 28 years. In all he was in recruiting for 35 years, rising up through the ranks to the top office. "He really enjoyed his work," he son recalled. "When people needed something done, they went to him." He was a member of the Ralph Fulton American Legion Post and American Legion in Greenfield, Ind. He also was a past president of the Ohio Personnel Employment Service Association and the Ohio Association of Personnel Consultants. Three of his children worked for him at Opportunity at various times, including Jay. Survivors include two other sons, Glendon Burgess Richardson of Florence and Jon Richardson of Erlanger; daughters, Sharon K. Cunningham of Otis, Ind., Jacqueline Friedly of Alexandria and JoEllen Canada of Erlanger; brothers, Joe Haas of St. Anne, Ill., Terry Haas of Veedersburg, Ind., and Eric Haas of Summerville, S.C.; a sister, Linda Croft of Hillsboro, Ind.; 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will begin there at 11 a.m. Thursday. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Erlanger. Memorials are suggested to St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, 401 E. 20th St., Covington, Ky. 41014.