Richard L. Williamson (Orchard)

Richard Lee Williamson of Orchard Nebraska died suddenly of an arrhythmia on April 20, 2011 at the O’Neill Hospital. Services will be at 2:00 PM Saturday April 23, 2011 at the United Methodist Church in Orchard. Visitation will be at the Ashburn Funeral Home in Orchard on Friday April 22, 2011 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

Richard was born on August 24, 1941 and raised 5 miles west of Orchard on the Williamson farm which will be a century-owned farm in August of 2011, a fact that he was very proud of. He graduated from Ewing High School in 1958.


He married Ruby Josephine Carl on April 3, 1959 and moved to Omaha after attending one semester of college at Kearney State. Richard graduated from Business School in Omaha in 1960 and they moved to Norfolk where he started working at Gillette Dairy. They were transferred to Bellevue where they lived for 4 years. They moved back to Norfolk in 1966 where he then worked for the Omaha World Herald and then Fisher Realty as a real estate broker. The family moved to the home place by Orchard in March 1973 and on November 18, 1989 they moved to the final farm two and a half miles west of Orchard.

Throughout his life Richard was known for his talent in performing music and especially in playing the piano. He played with Shorty Avery and the Swingsters and later with the All Knights. In more recent years he performed with the Bumblebees and the Johansen Sisters. During his career he wrote a song called “Rambling Piano”, and recorded with both Shorty Avery and the Swingsters and the All Knights. He was just finishing a music CD called “Let’s Dance” which contained many of his piano favorites.

Richard is survived by Ruby, his wife of 52 years, five children and their spouses, Julie and Neal Niedfeldt of Beatrice, Kevin and Mary Williamson of Chapman, Mike Williamson of O’Neill, Brenda and Curt Waters of Roy, Utah and Teresa and Ed Marts of Winner, South Dakota; 14 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, one sister, JoAnn and Kent Lilly, Kearney and numerous other relatives and friends.

Richard was preceded in death by his parents Elmer “Mike” and Irene Williamson; and brothers Dewaine and Larry Williamson.

Memorial donations will be used for Orchard Youth Baseball and the Orchard Library. Richard enjoyed watching many of his children and grandchildren play baseball and he also was an avid reader of western history.