Joanne "Richards" Cummings

Loving and devoted wife and mother JoAnne Cummings of Portland, Oregon died at home surrounded by family after a brief but courageous battle with ALS. JoAnne was born in Hayward, California on May 3, 1947 to John Richards and Betty (Costa) Richards. Oldest of eight children and an identical twin, she spent her youth in the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated from Castlemont High School in Oakland, CA in 1966. In 1965 she met a young Corporal in the Marine Corps, named Lester H. Cummings Jr. Their introduction was arranged by mutual friends and JoAnne was instantly dazzled by this strikingly handsome young Marine. After only four dates Les proposed to JoAnne, and they married on June 4, 1966. They were married for 48 and half years. JoAnne loved and supported Les throughout his 20 year career in the Marine Corps which included three tours in Vietnam. Les was the love of her life, her best friend and her Superman. JoAnne and Les had two children Lester III and Kathey and three granddaughters. They were surrogate parents to many others including exchange students; and most beloved were Eduardo and Velvet. The family collected friends throughout the USA and various places around the globe. JoAnne never met a stranger. An avid lifelong learner, JoAnne returned to college to finish her Bachelor’s degree at the age of fifty. She graduated from Multnomah Bible College, Portland, OR in 1996 with a degree in Women’s Ministry. After graduation she and Les moved to California to work at a homeless mission. She worked in numerous shelters and volunteered for church and other organizations throughout her life. Jo developed a lifelong love of sewing. She used her talent to sew for family and friends. She sewed and donated over 300 pillow cases, mostly to Veterans. She learned to quilt and made hundreds of quilts for family and friends. Next to sewing and her family her greatest devotion was to her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She tried and succeeded in sharing Christ’s love with everyone she met, especially strangers at the grocery store. Her love for U.S. history and genealogy led her to membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). She was a member of the Portland chapter and faithfully served as chaplain. She was extremely proud of her association with the DAR and the charities it supports. Her hope was for her daughter and granddaughters to become members one day. This earthly realm has lost a gentle and loving soul but Heaven has gained a shining angel who will watch over us all. Her beautiful smile and “Betty Rubble” laugh will be greatly missed. In all she did she thought of others. Her life was filled with love for God, family, friends, and country. JoAnne is preceded in death by her grandparents George and Mary (Rodrigues) Costa , George and Louise (St. Pierre) Richards, parents John and Betty Richards, her brother John Richards, her brother in Christ, George Miller Coggins and niece Leigh Coggins. JoAnne is survived by her loving husband, Les; children Les, III Daughter-in-Love Melissa; daughter Kathey Cummings Schuckert and Son-in-Love Scot; granddaughters Lorna Schuckert, Sofia Cummings, and Gianna Cummings; siblings: Donna Krieg, her identical twin sister, (Jon Sr.), Peggy Cruz (Edward), Sandy Cruz (Felix), James Richards, Tonnette Richards Guzman (Francisco), Terry Richards (Sharon), as well as many cherished nieces, nephews, cousins, and her military family, the Coggins’ Kathey, Becky Fisher (Jeff), George Jr. (Katie), Elizabeth Phillips (Chris); Ken and Betty Lawrence, Dennis and Crystal Benson, David and Silvana Bishop and more friends than stars in the sky. A viewing will be held at Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial Funeral Home on Wednesday, February, 18 from 10-5. A celebration of life service will be held at 7:00 PM on Thursday, February 19th at the Living Hope Baptist Church located at 3130 Southeast 148th Avenue, Portland. JoAnne would have loved for people to wear red or purple, her favorite colors. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the ALS society Oregon and SW Washington Chapter http://webor.alsa.org/site/PageServer/?pagename=OR_homepage. Service Information