Richard Ward Fletcher

Richard Ward Fletcher, age 93, passed away Thursday, September 8, at his Gainesville home, with Mary, his wife of 67 years, by his side. Richard was born May 25, 1929, in St. Petersburg, Fla., to George and Mattie Fletcher. The Fletchers moved to Newberry in the early 1930s amid the Great Depression. George quickly established himself as a thriving farmer, landowner, and community pillar. Richard would assume those roles himself after he graduated from Gainesville High in 1948 and served in the U.S. Marines during the early 1950s. A member of the Greatest Generation, Richard was a Renaissance man from the bygone era of Old Florida. He spent a dozen hours a day on horseback, with his closest neighbor a 3-mile ride away, as he oversaw hundreds of head of cattle and maintained and cultivated thousands of acres. Richard evolved into a real estate developer and helped modernize Gainesville. Along the way, he built up a catalog of stories and an abundance of skills he was eager to share. Richard could spin a yarn or cook a pot of mustard greens with the best of them. Family and friends knew to steer clear of his orange tree by the house until Richard gave the go-ahead the fruit was ready to eat. Richard liked to make sure things were done his way. It’s hard to argue with the results, beginning with his marriage to Mary on Feb. 20, 1955. A dedicated reader of the Gainesville Sun, deep thinker, and astute listener and observer, Richard enjoyed few topics more than Florida football. He began going to games in the 1940s, was a season ticket holder for around 60 years and a member of the Gainesville Quarterback Club for decades. Gator Nation lost a great one. Richard is survived by wife Mary Darlington Fletcher; sons, Richard Ward Fletcher Jr. and Joseph Darlington Fletcher; two grandsons, Benjamin Ward Fletcher and wife Marie, and Winston Lewis Fletcher and wife Talisa; three great grandsons, Noah, Miles and Kai Fletcher, and one great granddaughter, Ashlyn Fletcher; and brother, George E. Cotton Fletcher. He was predeceased by his son Benjamin Edward Fletcher in July 1979. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Williams-Thomas Funeral Home Westarea 823 N.W. 143rd Street Newberry, FL. with Pastor Gene Keith officiating. A reception will follow at the funeral home preceding the interment at Forest Meadows Cemetery Central 4100 N.W. 39th Ave Gainesville, FL. The family requests donations be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation www.t2t.org Please visit his memorial page at www.williamsthomasfuneralhome.com FOR FURTHER INFORMATION WILLIAMS-THOMAS WESTAREA 352-376-7556

Richard Ward Fletcher

May 25, 1929 - September 8, 2022