C. L. (Curtis Lee) Richardson "Dusty"

Mr. C.L. (Curtis Lee) Richardson, affectionately known by many as “Dusty”, departed this earthly life very calmly, peacefully, & spiritually prepared, on his eldest daughter’s (RaJeana) birthday, Sunday, December 17, 2017, at his residence, at the age of 65 years. He was born on May 26, 1952, in Saginaw, Michigan, the eldest son of the late Helena Johnson Richardson & Curtis Lee Richardson, Sr. He married Alice Jean Drain, the love of his life, February 17, 1972, upon their graduation from Saginaw High School, where they were high school sweethearts (SHS C/O 1970). They birthed 3 children: RaJeana S. Drain-Rodgers, Chauntel Y. Drain, & Curtis Lee Richardson III, respectively. He was an all-state swimmer & wrestler at Saginaw High, leaving records for others to aspire to achieve, and leaving his mark on the school for years to come.

Curtis passed away after a very brief battle with cancer, and he did not suffer. Diagnosed August 28, 2017, he completed radiation treatment & began chemotherapy under the care of Dr. Shah & Dr. Ernie P. Balcueva, and the staff of St. Mary’s (Ascension) Medical Center, with weekly visits to their Short Stay Unit, where he received outstanding service & care. From the time of his diagnosis, he was bed-bound less than a week, during the entire time, and that was due to weakness in his feet. He would leave cancer treatment and not even be nauseous; raring to hit the block, check his traps, and see his peeps.

He was employed early on by companies such as General Motors and Vlasic, but he spent the latter years hustling and receiving his disability benefits. He leaves to cherish his memory: Alice and their 3 children; 15 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; 3 sisters and 3 brothers: Sharon (Roland) Berkley, Inell (Louis) Jackson, Mary Richardson, Nathaniel Richardson, Brian Richardson, all of Saginaw, Michigan, and Gerald (Debra) Richardson of Boise, Idaho; 1 remaining maternal aunt, Claudia Mims; 1 son-in-law, Willie D. Rodgers, Sr.; many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends, including his godsons: Angelo “Dee” Tovar, Anthony “Noonie” Calhoun, Kye Simmons, William Head; and his “Big Brother”, Charlie G. Lawrence. He REALLY believed FAMILY FIRST, FAMILY OVER EVERYTHING, and most importantly he honored the fact that FAMILY didn’t necessarily mean BLOOD- LINE/biological, and he was REAL & GENUINE with his sentiments and life overall. “What you see is what you get” with him. He was very witty, hilarious, highly intellectual, very STREET-SMART, protective, and through it all, HE WAS GOD- FEARING.

Mr. C.L. Richardson considered it a blessing that he was not preceded in death by any of his siblings. Being the eldest, he parted them all first, and not everyone will consider that proper. However, he was preceded in death by his very caring and loving mother, his father, both his maternal and paternal grandparents, his highly respected and admired godfather, Mr. Joe Smith, Jr., and to-date has only lost one of his grandchildren, Cha’Kur Christian O. Tolbert, and one son-in-law – Roosevelt Tolbert.

A Viewing/Visitation will be held at 1:00 p.m. until the prompt start of the funeral service on Saturday, December 23, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. Pastor John Rincher will officiate with interment in Forest Lawn Cemetery on Wednesday, December 27, 2017. Family and friends will gather at Paradise Funeral Chapel on Wednesday for the processional to Forest Lawn Cemetery.