Gary Richards Obituary News: San Jose California, Longtime Bay Area News Group ‘Mr. Roadshow’ Columnist, Gary Richards Passes Away
Gary Richards Obituary: Gary Richards, popularly known as Mr. Roadshow, died on Sunday, December 17, 2023, after a long battle with a degenerative muscle and nerve illness. He was 72. Few things anger millions of Bay Area drivers more than the muck of traffic, impolite and distracted drivers, mistimed lights, and potholes they must navigate on a daily basis. But, for more than three decades, they had a steadfast defender in the Mercury News and Bay Area News Group who would listen to their concerns, respond to their queries, and bring their issues to the attention of transportation officials who might make a difference.
With the help of his dedicated wife, Jan, who would become known as Mrs. Roadshow, he was able to keep writing because of his special connection to Roadshow readers. His final piece was published on the day he died, which may have been a coincidence. “Gary Richards was a treasure in our community and in our newsroom,” said Sarah Dussault, senior editor of the Bay Area News Group, which includes the Mercury News, the East Bay Times, and other local publications. “He loved his job—answering questions from readers and sharing solutions with the community,” Dussault added.
“Our roads are safer, and there’s a good chance your commute is smoother, thanks to his Mr. Roadshow column.” “We’re grateful that Bay Area cars, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders got to know and love him as much as we did.” Richards was born in Dubuque, Iowa, on September 2, 1951. He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in political science before pursuing a master’s degree in journalism while covering sports for the student newspaper, where he met his future wife, Jan, an undergraduate who was writing state news.
Richards moved from sports editing at the Ames Tribune to the Quad-City Times, where he worked for nearly three years until 1983, when he was hired by his former Ames Tribune editor, John Epperheimer, to work in the sports department at the San Jose Mercury News, who was drawn to Richards’ “enthusiasm, earnestness, and good cheer.” Richards’ first Roadshow column debuted on September 23, 1991, elevating his daily conversations with Bay Area commuters to an art form years before Silicon Valley pioneered crowdsourcing and social media. “Every Monday, we’re going to take transportation questions you have and find some answers,” Richards wrote in his first piece. “We may not end the backup, but we hope to make the drive a little better.”
