Attorney Charles L. Richards, III of Howland passed away in his home on March 20, 2015 at the age of 74. Richards was born in 1942 in Struthers, Ohio to Charles L. and Stella T. Richards, who preceded him in death. Richards is survived by his devoted wife of 49 years, Janet, his four children, Maureen (Mark) Cones of Baltimore, Maryland, Charles M. (Sally) of Warren, Mary Susan (Scott) Murphy of Naperville, Illinois and John C. (Jillian) of Warren, his brother, William F. Richards of Akron, and by his six grandchildren, Mark Charles Cones, Scott James and Lauren Elizabeth Murphy, and Hannah Gisele, Zachary John and Dominic Joseph Richards. Richards was a 1960 graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School, where he was a pitcher on the baseball team. He was a walk-on pitcher at the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated in 1964. Richards worked for the East Ohio Gas Company before earning his law degree from the University of Akron in 1969. In 1982, Richards proudly opened his own law firm focusing on the areas of commercial litigation, defense of governmental entities and general litigation. He gained respect for excellence in handling novel, complex litigation. Richards tried over 100 cases in his career, many of which generated new law in the State of Ohio. Richards earned impressive professional honors during his career. He was a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only membership of 1% of experienced trial lawyers nationally. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in AmericaA