Cannon airman 'a beautiful soul'

Deanna Richards left a lasting impression with those who knew her.

“She was an amazing woman,” said Matt Duncan, an Air Force master sergeant who worked with Richards when both were deployed in Kuwait last year.

“She had an outgoing personality and managed to make friends with everyone around base. She was so active and always on the go. One minute she would be in the office taking customer calls, the next minute she was going out (to) the shops to make repairs and relate to the craftsman.

“She never complained about the work load and was always the one to crack jokes.”

Richards, 26, collapsed and died Friday morning at Cannon Air Force Base.

Cannon Media Operations Chief Eric Pilgrim said the senior airman was working out with other airmen near the base gym when the incident occurred.

Pilgrim said she was transported to a medical facility soon after she collapsed and was pronounced dead about 8:45 a.m. Friday.

Officials said they did not know about any health concerns in Richards’ history; they said the cause of her death was under investigation.

Her passing stunned friends, who created a Facebook page to honor her memory.

They told stories about an energetic woman who worked hard and liked to kid around. One post described her as “a beautiful soul” and a “crazy girl.”

Another described her as “unapologetically herself” with an infectious laugh.

Sgt. Dane Daproza was among her best friends.

“Whenever I was feeling down, she was always there for me,” Daproza said.

“She would put on ‘Hakuna Matata’ from ‘The Lion King’ and make me sing along, and she’d make me do crazy dances along with it.

“She was always fun.”

Daproza said Richards was also fanatical about actor Mark Wahlberg.

“We would do what we called ‘Markathons’ where we would stay up all night and watch movies that starred Mark Wahlberg.”

Richards’ bucket list, Daproza said, included trying to get Wahlberg to take her to an Air Force ball.

Daproza said he was there when Richards collapsed on Friday.

Their exercises were routine, and the airmen did them every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, he said.

He said he was not aware of any health problems in his friend’s life.

Duncan said she talked a lot about family when he was stationed with her last January through July.

“She was very family oriented,” he said. “She talked a lot about her mom and brother. ... At the time they were planning a trip to Utah and she was always excited about that.

“She had a countdown calendar for when she was gonna see them.”

Cannon officials said Richards was an operations management journeyman with the Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron.

She was from Ashland, Massachusetts, and is survived by her parents and two brothers.

A mid-week memorial service was being planned at the base chapel.