A sister identifies the man who died at 667 county Route 64 as Adrian E. "Sonny" Richardson Jr.
View full sizeScene of fatal fire at 667 County Route 64, New Haven, NY. New Haven, NY – The man who lost his life Thursday in a fire in New Haven was an animal lover who maintained a cemetery for years and did odd jobs around town, his sister said this afternoon.
Officials have not identified the man whose body was found inside the house at 667 county Route 64 following Thursday night’s fire, pending the outcome of an autopsy.
But Paula G. Richardson, also of New Haven, said the victim was her brother, Adrian E. “Sonny” Richardson Jr.
“We haven’t heard what happened,” Paula Richardson said. “We’re just waiting to hear.”
Adrian "Sonny" Richardson, victim of fatal fire in New Haven.Firefighters were dispatched about 5:12 p.m. Thursday to Adrian Richardson’s house and found it engulfed. Officials were unsure at first whether anyone had been home. State police announced this morning that a body had been found in the ruins.
State police and Oswego County fire officials continued to investigate this afternoon, but Trooper Jack Keller said no evidence had surfaced to suggest foul play. The home had a wood-fired kitchen stove and investigators suspect the fire may have originated with it, he said.
Sonny Richardson was 55, according to voter registration records. He was single and lived alone at the house, his sister said. Sonny did not drive and relatives took him around.
“He was kind of like a loner. He liked to be by himself,” she said. “He liked movies so we got him movies and stuff.”
He maintained New Haven Rural Cemetery for about 30 years, starting in 1976 working side by side with his father, Adrian Sr., Paula Richardson said. They mowed, trimmed, dug graves by hand and installed headstone bases, among other tasks.
Sonny left that job four or five years ago and since then had done odd jobs, often working on farms and mowing cemeteries, she said. He liked to garden. He also liked animals and over the years his pets included cats, cows, goats, a dog, chicken, sheep, even a bull.
“They all had names,” Paula Richardson said.
He also was known around town for his temper, she said. “Sometimes he would get really mad,” she said.
Richardson’s survivors also include sisters Bonnie Smith, of Marcellus, Mich., and Penny Johnson, of Baldwinsville, and brothers Mark Richardson, of Mexico, George Richardson, of Phoenix, and Douglas Richardson, of Adams.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete this afternoon but were being made with Harter Funeral Home, Mexico, Paula Richardson said.