Obituary of Richard Lee Hargraves

Richard Lee Hargraves was born on November 8, 1944, in Pasadena, Texas, and passed away on June 9, 2024, in Charlotte, NC, of a cardiac arrest while traveling.

The son of Eddie Edgar Hargraves and LeIsle Hargraves, Richard graduated from Robert E. Lee High School where he played football, basketball and baseball. He loved sports. He was either playing, watching or talking about sports his entire life. As an adult he played tennis and golf with the same enthusiasm as in his school years.

Richard graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Chemical Engineering degree and joined Monsanto Chemical Company in 1968. He later got an MBA at the University of West Florida.

While at UT he met his future wife Jo Anne Ellis and they were married in 1968. There were no girls in the Chemical Engineering program at that time, so he worked at Kinsolving Dormitory to get two meals per day and to meet girls. He met Jo Anne across the meatloaf!

Richard had a long and challenging career at Monsanto. He loved the international travel, particularly his years covering South America, where Monsanto had a large rubber chemicals presence.

In 1994, Richard started a second career as a Certified Financial Planner for Ameriprise. He enjoyed helping people develop and execute a plan for retirement. He retired in 2011. And then the travel began! He and Jo Anne covered the world for the next 13 years—trains, planes, ships and automobiles.

Richard and Jo Anne had two daughters, Elisa Anne Hargraves Kuntz and Amanda Lee Hargraves. They lived in Florida, South Carolina, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois and Texas.  Elisa and Jeff Kuntz have three children: Jackson, Katie and Ellis. PaPaw spent many hours at soccer and basketball games cheering these fine young athletes on to great heights! Jo Anne, Elisa, Jeff, Jackson, Katie and Ellis survive him and have many stories to tell about all the family trips. Survivors also include brothers Russell and Bill Hargraves and their families. His parents and sister, Jo Hargraves and daughter Amanda predeceased him.

Richard had a graveside service and burial at the Dido Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas.

There will be a Memorial Service for him at 1:00 pm on July 27, 2024, at Westlake United Methodist Church, 1460 Redbud Trail, West Lake Hills, TX. A reception will follow.

Memorial Donations may be made to the Austin Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.