Born October 26, 1890, to Richard and Lucy Burnett Blincoe of Blincoe, Ky., Rose belonged to a large Catholic family. Her parents were devout church members and trained their children to know and serve God. Rose attended Hagan Public School in Marion County. She also traveled a short distance to Loretto Academy and took music lessons from the Sisters there. Rose gave piano and organ lessons to local girls. When she was 29 years old, she entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph. Her postulant days were busy with music lessons and practice. On March 19, 1921, Rose received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Richarda.
Sister Richarda prepared for teaching music as her apostolate. Her first assignment was St. Rose School in Cloverport, Ky., where she taught for two years. She organized her first band with the children at St. Catherine School in New Haven, Ky., and from then on, band and/or orchestra were a part of the music experience she offered students, as well as private organ and piano lessons.
Sister Richarda left New Haven and was sent to Snyder, Neb., for four years. She returned to Louisville, teaching students from St. James School and others in the Highlands area. She spent one year at Nebraska City, Neb. Back in Kentucky, she went to Waverly, Jeffersontown, Stanley, Louisville (St. Paul and St. Columba), Buechel, Owensboro (SS. Joseph and Paul), and Lyndon. Sister was an accomplished musician whose gentleness and understanding nurtured, even in the less talented, a confidence that led to ease in performance and a love for music.
Because of serious loss of eyesight, Sister Richarda came home to Mount Saint Joseph in 1969. She lived in the infirmary helping other sick or retired Sisters with her cheerful, gentle ways. Always, she insisted they take up crocheting, especially with yarn, telling them they would find yarn so soothing to the touch. After she was unable to follow a crochet pattern, she spent hours untangling yarn and rolling it into balls, finding that activity calming to her nerves.
Sister Richarda suffered a stroke on May 14, 1980, and died peacefully the following day. On May 17, Father Bernard Barnes, OSM, chaplain, and Father Anthony Ziegler concelebrated the funeral Mass. Father Ziegler was homilist. Sister Richarda’s remains are buried in the convent cemetery. Among her survivors was her Ursuline sister, Sister Lucille.