James Thompson "Tommy" or "J.T." Richards, Sr., M.D. Obituary

James Thompson "Tommy" or "J.T." Richards, Sr., M.D.

Charleston - James Thompson Richards, Sr., M.D. ("Tommy" or "J.T.") died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family on January 1, 2026. Born in Denmark, South Carolina on July 6, 1936, he was the son of the late Nannie Lee Young Richards and Abram Jones Richards, Sr.

A Graveside service will be held Friday, January 23, 2026 at 12:30 PM at Sunnyside Cemetery, 601 Summers Avenue, NE, Orangeburg, SC 29115. A visitation will be held the night prior from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, at J. Henry Stuhr Funeral Home, Inc - Downtown Chapel, 232 Calhoun Street, Charleston SC 29401.

Tommy attended Presbyterian College ("PC") where, in addition to his being Battalion Commander, ROTC Battalion, he was an active member of Kappa Alpha Order Social Fraternity and a member of the football team. Named First Honor Graduate and Distinguished Military Graduate, he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Chemistry in 1958. He also was in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities and the Blue Key National Honorary Fraternity.

Unable to fulfill his dream of becoming a fighter pilot due to a childhood eye injury, Tommy followed his older brother, the late A.J. Richards, Jr., M.D., to the Medical College of South Carolina. Finishing with honors, he received his M.D. degree in 1962 and was licensed to practice in South Carolina.

While in med school he met and married the former Evelyn Townsend Wannamaker from Orangeburg, who had two young sons, R. Walter Hundley, Jr. and the late Daniel M. Hundley, from a prior marriage. The births of the late First Lt. James T. Richards, Jr. and Evelyn W. (formerly "Lyn") Richards soon followed, as well as a Rotating Internship, an Assistant Residency in Surgery, and a Residency in Surgery at the Teaching Hospitals of the Medical College of South Carolina. His fellowships included a Teaching Fellowship in Surgery in 1966 and in 2004 he was appointed Clinical Professor of Surgery Emeritus at MUSC.

Tommy served as a Major in the Medical Corps, United States Army (1967- 69). During that time, he was Chief of the Surgical Service, first at Fort McPherson in Georgia and then at the 44th Surgical Hospital (MA), 8th U.S. Army in Korea. In 1969 he was certified by the American Board of Surgery. That same year he was affiliated with Roper Hospital, where he ultimately served as Chief of the Department of Surgery, and St. Francis Xavier Hospital, where he later served as President of the Medical Staff.

Tommy first entered private practice in 1969 with the late John Hawk, M.D. He then went out on his own, opening J.T. Richards, M.D., P.A. During that time, he became one of the first surgeons in Charleston to perform laparoscopic general surgery. He and his long-time friend and mentor, the late Julian T. Buxton, M.D., eventually formed Coastal Surgical Associates together, but Tommy retired from practice following heart surgery. After his retirement he said he missed the nurses, doctors, and staff with whom he worked--but he missed seeing his patients most of all. Later Tommy was once again able to enjoy the camaraderie of the operating room when he began assisting his fellow surgeons.

Tommy was a member of St. Michael's Church. He also served on the Board of Trustees of Porter-Gaud School and on the Executive Committee of the Carolina Yacht Club. He was a member of the South Carolina Medical Association, Charleston County Medical Society, Medical Society of South Carolina, American College of Surgeons, and South Carolina Surgical Society (where he served as President), to name a few. Other memberships included the Society for the Relief of the Families of Deceased and Disabled Indigent Members of the Medical Profession of the State of South Carolina (the "Widows and Orphans Society") and the General Society of Colonial Wars. He also was a lifetime member of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina.

In addition to his wife, son and daughter, he is survived by his daughter-in-law Cynthia Austelle ("Cindi") Hundley; his grandchildren, Elisabeth ("Bess") Townsend Hundley Nissan (Ben), W. Richards Hundley, and Cynthia A. Hundley; and his great-grandson, James Schuster ("Jamie") Nissan.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Daniel M. Hundley Fund at the Coastal Community Foundation or the First Lieutenant James T. Richards, Jr. Memorial Fund at Porter-Gaud School.

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