Obituary of Richard Tyrone Travis

Richard Tyrone Travis, age 77, passed away in Manhattan on Saturday June 15th, 2024. Richard was born on August 26th, 1946 in Glasgow, Kentucky to Henri Marie Lewis andWashington Travis.Richard’s beloved and dedicated mother Henri Marie instilled an eternal love of learning, and a strong work ethic that drove Richard to great success from an early age. Starting in middle school, Richard was a star basketball player, leading his high school team as an all-time scorer. Richard then was recruited to Oklahoma City University where he started as a guard, and he was named an NCAA All-American in both the 1967-68 and 1968-69 seasons. In 1969, Richard was drafted into the ABA by the Indiana Pacers and later into the NBA by the New York Knicks, though after an injury, he pivoted from professional basketball to law school. Richard moved to Michigan to work for General Motors and Great Scott Supermarkets, and became a loving father to Shaune Travis Austin and Staci Travis Hines. He began his own law firm, specializing in labor and employment, continuing to work in Michigan, where he met Tracey Thomas. They married on April 4th, 1992, and subsequently welcomed two daughters, Alexandria and Adrienne. Richard was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and dedicated friend to many. Richard was preceded in death by his parents and his granddaughter Arianna Janee Travis. He is survived by his wife Tracey Thomas Travis, his daughters Shaune Travis Austin, Staci Travis Hines (Donovan), Alexandria Travis Delehanty (Sean), and Adrienne Travis (Cole West), as well as his granddaughters Candace Austin, Caya Austin, and his grandson Ayden Hines, as well as his aunts, uncle, cousins, and several longtime friends. Richard was keenly intelligent, gregarious, passionate, and a fierce advocate for those people and causes that he cared about. He was also known to be an impeccably dressed gentleman. Richard was a tough fighter for his entire life, and has been cherished by so many who have known him over the years. No one could ever fill the void in our hearts that Richard has left, but we are