Lou Richards remembered as a loving and loyal family man

LOU Richards’ daughter says her father loved his footy and all the entertainment that came with it, but would have given it all up in a heartbeat for his beloved wife Edna and family.

• Lou Richards dies aged 94
• Picture gallery: Lou Richards — A remarkable life
• The little bloke who rose above the pack just by being Lou

THERE were no profound words of wisdom from one of footy’s greatest legends.

No prophetic last notes from his death bed. Just a thin-lipped smile and a deep breath.

Then nothing.

One of the AFL’s greatest on and off the field — now just a shell of a man in his pyjamas, finally asleep and dreaming.

Ever since daughters Nicole and Kim made the anguished decision to have their father placed into fulltime care, the thought of his death had still eluded them.

Lou Richards with his wife Edna and daughters Nicole and Kim. Picture: Supplied

This was, after all, the great Lou Richards. How were they expected to say goodbye?

Sure, he was the Collingwood legend, the talked about publican and ultimate television showman. But he was also their dad — a bloody good family man, a devoted husband to his wife and loving father to his kids.

“He taught us in life how we should be treated and he treated others exactly the same way,” daughter Nicole said.

“He never complained. He understood the importance of loyalty and stuck to it without fault.”

He loved his wife Edna to every inch of her soul and he pined for her every day since her last breath.

EVERYONE SHOULD BOW TO LOU: EDDIE MCGUIRE

But he doted on his daughters, offered a jovial grimace to his sons-in-law and shared nothing but love for his grandchildren, Lucy, Amy, Hannah, Mathew and Ned and great-grandchildren Jack Albert, James, Freddie and Olive.

Lou Richards with daughter Nicole Morrison.

Lou Richards with daughter Nicole Morrison and granddaughters Hannah and Lucy.

They weren’t with him when he took his last breath at 2.30pm on Monday.

“Even in the nursing home, he was never angry to be there,” Nicole said.

“He was lucid and could have a joke. There were no plans for a profound farewell or a statement to the world. Lou wasn’t like that.’’

A proud grandfather, Louie would drop off fresh pastries from the bakery each morning to this grandkids.

When Neddy lost his mobile phone in year eight Lou promised to get him another one. And he did.

LIFE AND TIMES OF LOU RICHARDS

He loved to cook up pasta dishes and side salads. Sometimes better than Edna.

“He was no Jamie Oliver,’’ says Nicole. “He just knew he was doing it for us.’’

Lou Richards delighted after the birth of grandson Matthew.

“He taught us to be nice to people but also to stand up for yourself and that perhaps more than just being competitive, it was important to just be a good person and not to give up trying.

“Dad loved his footy and all the entertainment that came with it, but he would have given it up in a heart beat for his beloved wife Edna and his family.

“They were his world and that is all that really mattered.’’

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