The late Nate Richardson was a man who had enough love in his heart to cover the world.
So when many, many people from all walks of life show up to the upcoming Nate Richardson Celebration of Life, it will come as little surprise. While not everyone at the event will know each other, they will have one very important thing in common: Nate made an impact on their lives in one way or another.
“He was a best friend to everybody,” said Nate’s fiancee, Cassandra Sorensen.
Added Nate’s sister, ChayAnne Crew, “He was. He didn’t know a stranger.”
The Nate Richardson Celebration of Life is Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Pocatello Trap Club at 1950 Boeing Ave. in Pocatello. The event is family friendly, and there will be raffles, trap shooting competitions for prizes, a children’s bounce house and food provided by the Sand Trap.
There’s no charge for the event itself, but there are fees to enter the trap shooting competitions. The featured trap shooting competition is $25 per ticket, and the top prize is a Remington 870 12-gauge shotgun donated by ON Semiconductor. Folks have a chance to win another Remington 870 12-gauge shotgun via raffle. Entrance fees for the smaller trap shooting competitions will be in the $5 range.
Proceeds from the Nate Richardson Celebration of Life will go toward three separate causes: Idaho Fish and Game’s youth program, the Crime Victims Compensation Program and a scholarship for Idaho State University’s welding program.
“The benefit is about what Nate loved,” Cassandra said. “… The money is going right back into the community. We want to make sure people understand that there’s a side of him everybody needs to remember.”
Nate seemed destined for big things, but his life was cut short at the age of 30. Pocatello police say brothers Anthony Moreno, 23, and Gabriel Moreno, 25, both of Pocatello, murdered Nate in the early morning of June 24 during a physical altercation in an alley near Old Town Pocatello. Gabriel Moreno is charged with second-degree murder, while Anthony Moreno is charged with principal to second-degree murder. If convicted, both brothers face 10 years to life in prison. A trial date is set for Nov. 14, with a pretrial conference on Oct. 30.
A little more than a month after Nate passed away, his cousin and grandmother began discussing the desire to hold a benefit in Nate’s memory. They enlisted the help of Cassandra and ChayAnne, and the planning for the event got underway around early-to-mid-August.
Cassandra and ChayAnne managed to round up contributions and donations from individuals and businesses around Pocatello. The Pocatello Trap Club jumped at the chance to host the event.
Everywhere Cassandra and ChayAnne turned, it seemed the community was willing and able to lend a hand. And in their efforts, the pair discovered their beloved Nate knew and cared about more people than even they had realized.
“The best part about it is everybody you go talk to, almost everywhere we go, they go, ‘Yes, I knew him, he was a great guy and we are happy to help in any way that we can,’” ChayAnne said.
Indeed, Nate didn’t have acquaintances; he had friends. He was always willing to drop everything to help out the people he cared for, and he always made sure those who knew him best felt as loved as possible.
Cassandra remembers when they became official. Her and Nate had known each other a while, but it wasn’t until he asked her to dance at a gathering of mutual friends that the sparks really began to fly.
“As soon as he touched my hand and I touched his, it was an instant ‘There you are,’” she said. “… A very old-fashioned type of love — one that kind of lights your head, your heart, your soul, everything on fire. You feel complete.”
It’s been almost three months since anyone has heard Nate’s thundering laugh or been the recipient of one of his loving embraces. For Cassandra, ChayAnne and countless others, the good memories and funny stories help ease the heartache.
And come Saturday, Cassandra and ChayAnne hope those memories and stories are shared in earnest.
“Nate was a powerful force, and he loved people,” ChayAnne said. “He brought people together, and those are the people that we’re focusing his story and legacy on. We remember, and we laugh. And we miss him.”
