Jo Ann Gill Richards

South Portland-Jo A. Gill-Richards, 70, passed away peacefully at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House on March 6, 2023, following a long illness. Her loving husband and best friend, Tony, was by her side. Jo was born on April 20, 1952 in Portland, the daughter of the late John E. “Ted” Gill and Barbara A. (O’Connell) Gill. She grew up in the Thornton Heights and Country Gardens neighborhoods of South Portland and attended local schools. She was a 1970 graduate of South Portland High School and went on to attend the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston for a year. She returned home, however, to help her mother manage the family drug store, Gill’s Pharmacy in South Portland, following the unexpected death of her father. Jo was very proud and supportive of her parents’ political careers with her father, Ted, representing South Portland in the Maine House of Representatives and her mother, Barbara, later representing South Portland and Cape Elizabeth in the Maine House of Representatives and Senate. Jo spent most of her working life in the healthcare insurance industry to include administrative and managerial roles at Blue Cross Blue Shield and Anthem in Maine, New Jersey, and Arizona. She also served as the Executive Director of the Maine State Employees Health Insurance Program in Augusta. Jo married Anthony “Tony” Richards of Portland in 1999. The couple lived in South Portland and were inseparable. They enjoyed travel and sightseeing, particularly in the southwestern United States, and hosting friends and family for their annual New England Patriots party. Following retirement, Jo worked in administrative roles in various medical offices and care facilities in the greater Portland area and served as the primary caregiver for her mother following her diagnosis with dementia. Jo also served as a volunteer and advocate for the Alzheimer's Association of Maine. Jo is survived by her husband Tony of South Portland; stepson Nicholas Richards and his wife Tracy of Saco, and their children Sophia, Anthony, and Katherine; a sister Karen Gill of Michigan; brothers John E. Gill, Jr. and his wife Michelle of Cape Elizabeth, Stephen A. Gill and his partner Christine Powell of Daytona Beach, FL; her uncle Jock O’Connell of Sacramento, CA; six Gill and Several nieces and nephews (Kate, Brent, Rhiannon, Patrick, Ted and Pete) in Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, and sister-in-law Clair Knicely and her husband, David of Maryland. Jo also cherished her long time friends Nancy McCarthy-Marsden, Karen Allen, and Betty Melanson. Special thanks to Jo’s home care provider during her final months, Lisa. Visiting hours will be held from Sunday, March 19, 2023 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at the Conroy-Tully Walker South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00am on Monday, March 20, 2023 at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, 156 Black Point Road, Scarborough. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, South Portland. To view Jo’s memorial page, or to share an online condolence, please visit www.ConroyTullyWalker.com In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, 383 U.S. Route 1, Suite 2C, Scarborough, ME 04074, or given online at https://www.alz.org/maine or Hospice of Southern Maine at 390 US Route One, Scarborough, ME 04074, or given online at www.hospiceofsouthernmaine.org/give.