Frank Michael Richards

Richards—Frank Michael Richards, 81, on May 10, 2025, peacefully, in Columbia, S.C. Frank Michael was born on October 22, 1943, in Alexandria, Va. He entered the world while his father, Frank Richards, served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Following the war, in 1945, he and his mother, Dorothy, reunited with his father in Hawaii following a cross-country train journey and a voyage on the steamship Lurline, a harbinger of the many travels that would mark Frank Michael’s early life.

Frank Michael’s childhood was spent journeying with his family. His father’s work took them from Hawaii to the United Kingdom, then to Syria and Lebanon in the 1950s, and later to Venezuela. In the early 1960s, he returned to the United States, attending the University of Nebraska. He later lived in Chicago, Ill.

A brilliant linguist in his college years, Frank Michael was known for his remarkable aptitude with languages, including Greek and Latin. He was a very attentive and curious listener and his responses were authentic. He spent most of his time listening to chants, writing about various subjects on his website, and sharing whatever material abundance he had with others. Frank Michael was first and foremost a deeply spiritual person.

He did not marry, but was a devoted older brother, especially to his youngest sibling, who was 16 years his junior. Frank Michael settled in South Carolina more than four decades ago, where he found community and acceptance through the Religious Society of Friends.

While confined to a mental institution in mid-life, Frank Michael began writing to local churches in ancient languages, prompting members of Columbia (S.C.) Meeting to visit him. Their compassion and advocacy helped bring about his release and ushered in nearly 30 years of faithful participation in the meeting. His religious devotion was profound and well-informed.

Frank Michael was a regular attender at Columbia Meeting. He provided refreshments for the meeting for many years until he began attending online following the COVID restrictions in 2020.

Many people within the peace community knew him as a dedicated peace activist. He was fervent in putting up posters and was once arrested for posting flyers at the State House. Usually he stood in silent witness with others every Wednesday as part of the Women in Black vigils.

Frank Michael lived for many happy years at Finlay House, a senior residence community in Columbia, where he was a quiet yet cherished presence. Despite a life marked by isolation and challenges, he was loved by those who came to know him.

Frank Michael was also known for his compulsive collecting. In the end, much of what he gathered was redistributed to those in need—a final act of generosity as well as a legacy of landfill diversion that continues to inspire.

Frank Michael was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Dorothy Richards.

He is survived by his younger brother, Steven; his sister, Carole; as well as several nieces and nephews. His youngest brother, Jon, died unexpectedly two months after Frank Michael.