On a peaceful day, April 27, 1941, Jewell Bryant and Oscar Richardson, Sr., were blessed with a healthy baby boy, Oscar Richardson, Jr., who at some point acquired the nickname "Jackson". Due to his parents' schedules, Oscar was raised to adulthood in the loving care of his maternal grandparents, Walter Bryant Sr. and Cammie Bryant, of Muskogee, Oklahoma. Being an only child and surrounded by several uncles, aunts, and cousins, a strong unbreakable bond was formed. In the Bryant home, you were taught life values such as love, respect, hard work, family connection, importance of an education, never forget where you come from, and to keep God in your life.

These family values also led Oscar to accept God into his life and he was baptized at an early age. Oscar's educational journey began at Douglas Elementary School where he met and formed lifelong friendships. Even more friendships as he traveled across town to Sadler Junior High, and then up the hill to the historical Manual Training High School. He graduated Manual Training in the Class of 1958, excelling in all his studies.

Oscar enlisted at the age of 16 into the U.S. Army in 1958 which was the Vietnam Era, and attended The Airborne School in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, as he was in the division of the Air Force. As Oscar would say, he jumped out of perfectly good airplanes several times in a day as he was a member of 101st Airborne Battle Group. During this time, Oscar received honorable character of service as Private First Class, tactical training, and was recognized as a Sharpshooter and obtained an Expert Parachutist badge. Oscar would often share his experience of serving as a paratrooper and rifle trainer during his term of August 1958 to February 1962.

Oscar was an adventurous man who sought better opportunities and employment in a different atmosphere, so he packed up and moved his family to California. He found employment with the Veteran's Administration (VA) in Long Beach, CA, by day and operated a taxi during the night. Remembering this upbringing and mandatory dream that his children get an education, he led by example and chose to enroll himself into East Los Angeles College, Compton College, and later obtained a Bachelor's degree in Business from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK.

Being an out-going, smart, entrepreneur with goal of growth and ownership, he soon opened his own after hour nightclub, tax agency, and purchased property on South 4th Street in Muskogee, OK, near the vicinity in which he was raised. Oscar also lived and worked in Muskogee, OK, Vinita, OK, and Fort Supply, OK, as a Fire and Safety Officer, a Mental Health Technician II at Eastern State Mental Hospital in Vinita, OK, and Orderly and Union Representative for Jack C Montgomery Veteran Hospital, which resulted in an over twenty-five years employment retention with the State of Oklahoma until he successfully retired.

Most people that truly knew Oscar, knew he was a strong-willed man and would not admit to being wrong on anything. Like the Vegas saying: "What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas". That same statement applies to Oscar Richardson, Jr., in the sense of what happened with Oscar, stayed with Oscar to remain a riddle and puzzled others. If you knew him you only knew what he wanted you to know, and he minimized his concerns to be considerate of how others were doing. Oscar enjoyed his retirement which was spent fishing with family and friends, watching westerns and other comedies, caring for horses and goats, carpentry, working on his vehicles, cooking, drinking coffee, and playing things by ear. He was not known to be competitive while fishing, but would silently fish for hours until he caught something. Most importantly, Oscar valued his family and checked on those that he could daily, and faithfully remained involved with each child up until their adulthood.

During Oscar's High School days, he met and married his first love, Margaret Knapper, of whom he remained with for sixteen years. A short time later they were blessed with six children: Metherine "Sweet Pea" Richardson Bratton, Oscar "Spunky" Richardson III, Lolita "LeeTee" Richardson, Tajuana "Tammy" Richardson, Darren Richardson, and Tina Richardson Thomas. Oscar then married Marilyn (Cherry) Richardson of whom he shared Randy Richardson and Susan Richardson, and went on to have other children: Kerry Richardson and Tara Richardson Diggs (Wilma Veales of Muskogee, OK); Oscar Sean Richardson (Eliza Honawa of Strang, OK). Lastly, Oscar married his now best friend, Joyce Brown Richardson, of whom was present to assist him until his last days. He also leaves to cherish his memories: Sister Alice Richardson of Denver, Colorado; twenty grandchildren, thirty-five great grandchildren, five great great grandchildren; cousins: Larry Cotton, Gary Bryant, Kenneth "Moon" Bryant, LaShonda Dyer, Bobbie Boyattia, Deanna "Tiny" Jones Johnson, Debbie Boyattia Jones, Clarence Richardson, to name a few, as there is a host of other family members. Special and longtime friends: Dwight "Snookie" McDaniel, Ray "Ray Ray" Newman, Jackie Hightower, Jerry Washington, Jimmy Gilyard, Eddie Robinson, Vernon Johnson Sr., and Ira "Ike" Nunn, to name a few.

Upon taking the Savior's hand, he joined his parents, Jewell B. Brown and Oscar Richardson Sr.; grandparents Walter Bryant Sr. and Cammie Bryant, and also Susie B. Byrd Richardson; son Randy Richardson; former wife Margaret Richardson; uncles Jim Byrd, Arelius Richardson, Arthur Richardson (twin of Oscar Richardson Sr.), Bennie Bryant, Walter "Phillip" Bryant Jr.; very special aunt Imogene Bryant, Naniece Bryant, Anna Mae Bryant, Lois Bryant; cousins: Canton "Honey" Keyes, Gratus Keyes Jr., Donald "Worm" Jones; good friends: John Adams, Bill Smith, Nathaniel Dyer, Delbert Jackson, Shedrach McCall III, Everett Warrior, Clyde "Spunky" Thompson Sr., Tommy Myers, and last but not least Percy "Brownskin" Anderson.

The Hour of Remembrance for Mr. Richardson will be held on Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 12:00 Noon in the People's Chapel of the Keith D. Biglow Funeral Directors, Inc. in Muskogee.

Burial will follow at 2:00 PM in the Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Fort Gibson, Oklahoma.

You may visit Mr. Richardson on Wednesday from 1:00 PM until 6:00 PM at the funeral home.