Cindy Lou Orton Richards Obituary (1954

Cindy Lou Orton Richards successfully graduated from mortality on May 7, 2023. She was born in Ogden, Utah to Glen Lee and Marian D. Malan Orton. The Ortons moved to Ladera, California where Cindy grew up as a very active girl spending hours hitting a tennis ball against the garage door (until it drove her mother crazy), running through the house, jumping the neighbor’s hedges and climbing trees. As a preteen, she became such a fast swimmer that drew the attention of an elite swimming club that prepared swimmers for the Olympics. They offered her a chance to join them, but after she learned that they expected her to practice on Sundays also, she turned down the offer. She was popular in high school, set a few records that have not yet been broken and attended BYU on a scholarship. At BYU she met and eventually married A. LeGrand (Buddy) Richards in the Salt Lake Temple. She graduated in 1975 and they loaded up their things and moved to Boston, so Buddy could attend Harvard Graduate School in Education. Cindy found a way to join the staff at Harvard as the women’s assistant swim coach. Because of this position, when their first daughter was born with a major birth defect, they had the insurance benefits that protected them from decades of financial bondage. They returned to Provo where Buddy enrolled in a doctoral program at BYU. Once again, they needed her to find employment and she had made such an impression on the administration at Orem High School, where she had student taught that they quickly offered her a teaching position. She became a much beloved teacher and was voted most favorite teacher at the 40th reunion by the alumni. In 1983, Cindy and Buddy took their 3 daughters to Germany where Buddy took a position at the Universität Würzburg for two years. They returned to their home in South Provo when Buddy took a position at BYU. They fell in love with the little widows in the neighborhood and Cindy became an advocate for neighborhoods. She organized neighborhood clean-ups, painting projects, tree planting and blight control. She became the driving force for bringing Neighbor Works to Provo and served for many years on the Provo Housing Authority board. As she became more involved with the challenges of the City, she was soon asked to serve on many other boards and commissions. She was recruited to run for the Provo City Council and served for 12 years. She was an unwavering champion for the underserved and marginalized. She won numerous awards for her service including Governor’s Silver Bowl for community service ‘94, Volunteer of the Year from the Utah League of Cities and Towns, Congressional Service award and many more, but she always wanted the credit to be given to the teams she led. She asked, “what is possible and who cares?” Then she went to work on it and was remarkable at rallying others to join her. She made them feel like it was a privilege to work with her. Cindy was a gifted athlete. She had so many trophies and medals that we couldn’t find room enough to display them. She excelled especially in racquetball, but she also won medals and trophies in other sports ranging from basketball, swimming, softball, to table tennis, javelin, shotput and Men’s bowling (over 50). The Orem City Council used to challenge the Provo Council to an annual softball game, but cancelled in 2001 because, “The male ego on our Orem City Council can’t stand the thought of losing to your Cindy Richards again…We’re just tired of getting beat by Cindy.” She won a number of Men’s A racquetball tournaments in the state and at the age of 42, she signed up for a course at BYU so that she could play on the racquetball team. She became their top-rated player and that year they won the national collegiate title. She continued to consult with the team for a number of years and one of their national champions said of her, “she was like my Yoda…I would step on a court with her and I could feel that she believed I could do anything.” That’s the way she was with everyone; she would find the good in people and celebrate it. While she was a fierce competitor, she was never angry about losing (she just didn’t have much experience with it.) Always active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she loved serving others in various positions—especially with young women. She was called into the Stake young women’s presidency as a young married and was called again to be the president in her sixties. She served as a young relief society president in a brand new ward, filled with widows. They loved her and she loved them. Always a little unconventional and informal, she had an uncanny way of disarming emotional barriers. She was especially sensitive to those who were troubled or easily overlooked. She also served in the Stake Primary presidency, camp director and many other ward callings. Most recently, President Russell M Nelson asked her to become the third Matron of the Provo City Center Temple. Almost instantly she became deeply loved and adored by all with whom she served. She is most grateful for all the prayers and expressions of love on her behalf. She took her diagnosis of terminal brain cancer, while shocking, as an opportunity to expand her horizon, meet and love new people and to take each day with grateful enthusiasm. She would regularly tell us that she had never been happier, bearing witness that it is possible to “suffer no manner of afflictions save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ.” (Alma 31:38) She leaves behind her loving husband, Buddy, 5 beautiful daughters, Katie Jarvis (Paul), Kimberly Noorlander (Danny), Linda Lewis (Dan), Erika Coleman (Spencer), Elizabeth Fesler (David), 16 wonderful grandchildren, a sister Linda Olson (Gary), a brother Michael Orton and literally hundreds of others who feel like family. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, May 13, 2023 at the Provo Utah Freedom Stake Center, 835 South 500 West, Provo, Utah. The family will receive friends at the Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street, Friday, May 12, from 6-8:00 p.m. and at the church Saturday, from 9:30-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment will follow at Eastlawn Memorial Hills. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com. You are invited to join the service Saturday with this link: https://zoom.us/j/98263285388?fbclid=IwAR0W3LanKHqbXbJ-l__FTN_-KOYhu9AWouGnlvVSAZBt1sloR1opIu8YFKk