Lisa Ann Richards

STOW - Lisa Ann Richards, 68, of Stow, passed peacefully surrounded by loving family members, into the loving arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on February 22, 2025. She was the daughter of the late Joseph and Katherine LaBeef, of Fulton, New York.

Lisa was a 1974 graduate of G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton, NY. She originally studied Dance Performance at the State University of New York at Brockport. Thereafter, Lisa received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature from Wells College in Aurora, NY. She continued her education by receiving a Master of Science in Education degree at the State University of New York at Oswego, NY.

After relocating to Ohio in 1985 for her husband’s work, Lisa, for the next eight years, directed all her passion, focus, and energy to lovingly raise Bethany and Ryan. Lisa returned to her love of teaching in Stow, touching young hearts and minds at Stow Alliance Preschool and Holy Family School. Lisa then began her 30-year legacy of teaching English and Advanced Placement courses at the Stow-Munroe Falls High School. Teaching English was her passion, one to which she wholeheartedly devoted herself in every way she could. She strove to impart to her students the ability to read, discern, and express themselves through the written word. She challenged her students to be better versions of themselves and never settle for less. Her classroom was not just a place, it was crafted with intention: warmth to nurture the hearts and souls of students, multi-colored walls adorned with artwork of iconic literary symbolism and her favorite Ragdoll cats, Cosette and Maximus, to inspire creativity, and a large tiger version of Richard Parker from the Life of Pi, to bring literature to life. The success of her career is demonstrated by the adoration of her by many current and former students - even spanning generations. Her legacy speaks for itself in the halls and classrooms of Stow-Munroe Falls, rippling outward into the very field of education itself, and her absence will be terribly missed.

In addition to her loving husband, Christopher, of 44 years, she is survived by her daughter, Bethany (Dustin); granddaughter, Ivy Zadai, of Stow, Ohio; her son, Ryan (Kayla), and grandsons, Cade and Rhett Richards of Austin, Texas. She is also survived by her brother, Barry (Denise) LaBeef, of Mundelein, Illinois, and their daughter, Katie (Kyle) LaBeef Trafton, and daughter, Luna, of Billings, Montana, and son, Joseph LaBeef, of Mundelein, Illinois.

Calling hours will be held Thursday, March 6, 2025, from 4:00 - 7:00 P.M., at Living Vine Community Church, 4460 Stow Road, Stow 44224, and where a memorial service will be held on Friday, March 7, 2025, at 11:00 A.M.