Dr. Kathleen Richards

Dr. Kathleen Richards of East Stroudsburg, PA, went to be with her Lord on May 7, 2023 at the age of 70. Dr. Richards is survived by her only child, Dr. Rebecca Padot, her son in law, Chris Padot, and her grandchild, Mira Faith Padot. She has one living sister, Gina Conroy (Jim Nowen). She is predeceased by her late husband, Stephen J Dreyer and by her siblings Anita Rose Balint, Dr. Lois Estok, Richard Tammara, and Jack Tammara. Dr. Richards was born and raised in Manville, NJ. She died of Mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos. Dr. Richards attended Manville Public schools and graduated Manville High School in 1970. She graduated from Douglass College with a BA in Biology. She received her Master’s degree in Biochemistry from Rutgers Graduate School. Since she was 7 years old, Dr. Richards always wanted to be a doctor. She attended New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ. She completed her residency in Family Medicine at Somerset Medical Center Family Medicine in 1987 and became Board-Certified in Family Medicine. She opened her solo Family Medicine practice in Manville, NJ. Dr. Richards practiced in Manville until 2005 (she was known as Dr. Kowal then). She was amazed at how much physical disease is caused by psycho-social-spiritual problems. At age 52 she entered the University of North Carolina Psychiatry Residency program and completed her residency. She became Board-Certified in General Psychiatry. She finished her career by working as a Psychiatrist at the Salisbury VA in Salisbury, NC where she helped veterans recover from their emotional wounds. She also taught medical students and residents. After retirement, Dr. Richards moved back to the Northeast to help care for her precious granddaughter, Mira. Dr. Richards had a special interest in Grief Recovery and became a Grief Recovery specialist. She led many small groups, as well as patients through the Grief Recovery process (The Grief Recovery Handbook). In fact, Dr. Richards felt she helped more patients with the Grief Recovery model than she did with all her degrees. Dr. Richards also had an interest in childhood attachment. She was certified as a Circle of Security facilitator. Dr. Richards led many parent groups using this model. Dr. Richards was also a Master gardener. She loved garden design and designed her last two homesteads. Viewing will be held at Ketusky Funeral Home, 1310 Brooks Blvd., Manville, NJ 08835 on Friday, May 12, 2023 from 4PM to 8PM and again on Saturday, May 13, 2023 from 9AM – 10AM. Funeral service will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 10AM, also at Ketusky Funeral Home. Interment will follow at New Cemetery in Somerville, NJ.

Tributes

Dr. Kathleen Richards

August 10, 1952 - May 7, 2023