James Rollie Richardson, Sr. was born in Malvern, Arkansas on December 20, 1920 to Will and Blanche Richardson. He was their second son. His older brother was William H. Richardson, Jr. ("H-ee") who passed away in 1964. Being a child of The Depression must of has a tremendous impact on his perspectives. His father was the sheriff in Hot Springs County, Arkansas and the family considered themselves very fortunate to have employment and a home as so many did not have either during The Depression. James Rollie's father, (the Sheriff) regularly brought people to his home in the evening after finding them "down on their luck." Will Richardson brought them to the house on Mill Street so that his wife, Blanche, could give them some of the food she had cooked for her own family. People in need knew that they could go to the Sheriff's back door and his wife would feed them.

When James Rollie was 13, he went to work in the drugstore in Malvern and also worked a newspaper route.

James Rollie went to the University of Louisville Kentucky School of Pharmacy, and then transferred to Auburn School of Pharmacy because they offered an accelerated program and the United States needed all medical professionals to finish their degrees quickly in order to help with the war effort. Immediately following graduation from Auburn, James Rollie joined the Navy. He was initially attached to a Marine Division, but when that unit shipped out for the war, he was ordered to stay on with the Navel Hospital at Bremerton, Washington where he was needed to train and manage the Navy Nurses. This was where he met the brilliant and beautiful Helen Lucille Morris who was in one of his classes. They fell in love and were married in the Navy Chapel in Bremerton.

After the war, "J.R." and Helen moved to Texarkana, Arkansas as did his brother H-ee and his wife Lila. JR was employed at the Simmons Drug Company until he was hired by Sharp & Dohme Pharmaceutical Co. which later became Merck Sharp & Dohme, and ultimately just Merck.

Helen gave birth to four of their five children while in Texarkana before moving to Memphis where their fifth child was born.

They were active in their, church Graceland Baptist where Helen was in the Ladies Auxiliary Group which supported and participated in various works of charity and JR taught Rollie and Max's Sunday school classes when they were young boys. After moving to Germantown, they joined Bellevue Baptist Church where they attended and contributed regularly until the time when their health no longer permitted them to attend.

These last years, JR received tremendous joy and happiness from the love and visits that were shared with his posterity-this includes five children, 21 grandchildren, 52 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild and the loving spouses of his children and grandchildren.

On Sunday night, January 16 ^th , James Rollie Richardson, Sr. left all of those here on earth who loved him and went to be greeted and welcomed by his Heavenly Father and many friends and family members who went before him.