![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/John_Rich.jpg\" "\\"Former")
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Former Fresno Bee managing editor John Rich, photographed 1997, left, and 2015, right. Both photos in composite by Eric Paul Zamora.<\/p>\n
ERIC PAUL ZAMORA<\/p>\n
Fresno Bee Staff Photo<\/p>\n
On his final day at The Fresno Bee, hours after a retirement celebration to honor his 39-year career, John Rich logged onto his laptop from home to keep working.<\/p>\n
Double-checking and tinkering with headlines and stories, monitoring for any breaking news until midnight.<\/p>\n
It was only after access to company programs was denied because he was no longer an employee that Rich stopped working.<\/p>\n
Rich, arguably the most dedicated and hardest working person at The Bee who also played a pivotal role in shaping journalism coverage in the central San Joaquin Valley, died Thursday.<\/p>\n
Rich was 64 years old. His death followed six years of declining health as he battled Parkinson\u2019s disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was such an example of a person dedicated to his craft,\u201d said Joe Kieta, The Fresno Bee\u2019s executive editor from 2018-2023. \u201cHe was a really amazing journalist who had such a long career, and was filled with institutional knowledge of The Bee and of the Fresno community.<\/p>\n \u201cI never worked with anyone who had a stronger sense of the mission of journalism, and understood the hard work it takes to produce quality journalism.\u201d<\/p>\n Rich held a variety of positions since he started at The Bee in 1984, including as sports editor and metro editor, before spending his final eight years as managing editor, the No. 2 person in charge. He retired in June 2023.<\/p>\n Though Rich did not have a byline or a photo of himself that\u2019d run regularly in the newspaper or online, his contributions behind the scenes helped strengthen The Bee\u2019s news coverage.<\/p>\n His news judgment, often derived from the simple question of \u201cwhat does the reader want to know,\u201d provided the foundation for the types of stories The Fresno Bee pursued.<\/p>\n \u201cHis news sense was second to none,\u201d said popular, longtime Fresno Bee columnist Bill McEwen. \u201cHe was a hard worker, a give-me-the facts editor who improved thousands of stories.<\/p>\n \u201cHe died much too young from a terrible disease, and it breaks my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n Jim Boren, a longtime Fresno Bee staffer who served as executive editor from 2012-2018, noticed Rich\u2019s ability to have a lasting impact, too.<\/p>\n \u201cFor generations of Bee readers, his work helped ensure that the newspaper was more than a collection of stories,\u201d Boren said. \u201cIt was a trusted source of information about the people, institutions and issues that mattered in the San Joaquin Valley.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd for the journalists who had the good fortune to work with him, his influence went beyond any individual story. He helped teach what good journalism looks like \u2014 and why it matters.\u201d<\/p>\n Rich was often the first person in the newsroom and sometimes the last person to leave, all in the same day, juggling an array of responsibilities.<\/p>\n Sometimes out of a sense of duty.<\/p>\n Other times out of love.<\/p>\n But it was more than just his love for journalism \u2014 but a love for The Fresno Bee and for his colleagues.<\/p>\n Time after time, Rich showed how committed he was to quality journalism, as well as to his coworkers as he provided guidance, leadership and genuine care.<\/p>\n In 2006 when longtime Fresno Bee reporter Don Coleman suffered a fatal heart<\/a> attack during his lunch break, Rich gathered folks from the newsroom for an emergency meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a sickening feeling that it was bad,\u201d recalled veteran Bee reporter Bob Rodriguez. \u201cIn a calm and comforting voice, he told us Don had died. Several of us became emotional.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we stood there numb, John offered to say a short prayer. I don\u2019t remember what he said, but for me, it provided a tremendous amount of comfort. … He\u2019s been a leader in this newsroom for decades, and one we have turned to for professional advice as well as emotional support.\u201d<\/p>\n Rich also played a key role hiring and helping train and develop many reporters who\u2019d leave a significant impact in the Fresno community, and sometimes beyond.<\/p>\n Like former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski<\/a>, who Rich helped hire in 1995 as a sports columnist at The Bee.<\/p>\n Wojnarowski, known for his \u201cWoj bombs,\u201d became one of the biggest names in sports journalism.<\/p>\n \u201cJohn Rich was one of the finest, most capable and dedicated editors and newsroom leaders with whom I ever worked,\u201d Wojnarowski said. \u201cAs a young columnist with big \u2014 and sometimes wayward \u2014 opinions at The Bee in mid-1990s, John always had my back with both management and the community.<\/p>\n \u201cHe held our staff to high standards and cared deeply for not only the people in the newsroom but also those with whom our work served in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n Other notable hires by Rich: Award-winning columnist John Canzano<\/a>, longtime Fresno Bee columnist Marek Warszawski,<\/a> and success story Anthony Galaviz, whom Rich hired out of The Bee\u2019s packaging department. He gave him a job that was considered at the bottom of the sports department as an agate clerk. Galaviz would steadily rise and become one of the most read reporters currently at The Bee.<\/p>\n Then and in more recent years, Rich\u2019s primary advice to journalists boiled down to four words: \u201cTell me a story.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor 100 years, our approaches may have differed,\u201d Rich said in a 2022 story that celebrated The Fresno Bee\u2019s 100-year anniversary of existence<\/a>. \u201cBut our intent has always remained the same: Tell stories that matter to the Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n Following Rich\u2019s retirement, his impact on the Fresno community became recognized by those outside of The Fresno Bee building.<\/p>\n Longtime U.S. Representative Jim Costa applauded Rich\u2019s career<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cJohn worked to the highest journalist standards for accuracy and fairness.\u201d Costa said in 2024. \u201cDuring his career, he evolved with technological advances and changes to the newspaper environment, but he never lost sight that his job was to deliver the news that matters to the people of the Valley, whether the latest details of a Fresno State Football game or an in-depth expose on corruption at city hall.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Rich also leaves a legacy as a mentor and coach. He has been an inspiration for other journalists in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Added former deputy editor Matt Lloyd: \u201cJohn\u2019s dedication to journalism was unparalleled. He represents the legacy of The Fresno Bee going back to its heyday.<\/p>\n \u201cHe really had a vision of strong journalism. He took the legacy of The Bee really seriously, the journalism and the editors and the reporters who came before us.\u201d<\/p>\n As much as Rich loved working in journalism and pouring countless hours to his job, he still always found time to focus on his family.<\/p>\n Alongside Denise, his wife of 40 years, the Rich couple turned to athletics to help their family grow close. Both by playing and watching sports together, which translated to fond family memories and career successes.<\/p>\n John threw countless buckets of baseballs as part of batting practice for his son Andrew while growing up. Andrew has since become the Boise State softball coach.<\/p>\n John and Denise also would fly out of state to attend their daughter Tori\u2019s softball games. Tori Hildebrandt is now entering her seventh season as the Washington Union High varsity softball coach.<\/p>\n The family also came together to cheer for Denise during her longtime stint as the Washington Union varsity coach, then assistant coach with the Fresno State softball team.<\/p>\n Attending San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors games, even sprint car races, became a Rich tradition, too.<\/p>\n \u201cSports were our family\u2019s life,\u201d Andrew said.<\/p>\n Andrew also noticed how his dad\u2019s selflessness with his family and in sports carried over to his job.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just did everything he could to help others and never thought about himself first,\u201d Andrew said. \u201cIt was always, what can I do to help everybody else?\u201d<\/p>\n Added Wojnarowski: \u201cAs much as I learned from John about the craft of reporting and writing, I learned much more from him away from the paper. In every way, John illustrated to all of us about how to be a better husband, father and person.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had an incredible journalism career, but his love for Denise, Tori and Andrew are the truest measure of that man.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published October 2, 2026 at 6:23 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones<\/a><\/p>\n The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones is a reporter and photographer for McClatchy\u2019s Vida en el Valle and the Fresno Bee. She covers issues that impact the Latino community in the Central Valley. She is a regular contributor to La Abeja, The Bee\u2019s free weekly newsletter on Latino issues. | Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones es reportera y fot\u00f3grafa de Vida en el Valle de McClatchy y el Fresno Bee. Ella cubre temas que impactan a la comunidad latina en el Valle Central. Es colaboradora habitual de La Abeja, el bolet\u00edn semanal gratuito de The Bee sobre temas latinos.![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/EPZ_JOHN_RICH_01.jpg\" "\\"EPZ_JOHN_RICH_01.jpg\\"")
John Rich, former managing editor at the Fresno Bee, photographed Friday, April 10, 2015 in the Fresno Bee newsroom. Eric Paul Zamora Driving force behind the scenes<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/JR_ML_03.JPEG\" "\\"JR_ML_03.JPEG\\"")
John Rich, former managing editor at the Fresno Bee, photographed in 2013 with a school tour in the Fresno Bee newsroom. Matt Lloyd More than a love for journalism<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/JR_ML_02.JPEG\" "\\"JR_ML_02.JPEG\\"")
John Rich, former managing editor at The Fresno Bee, photographed December 2016 in the newsroom. Matt Lloyd Leaving, protecting a legacy<\/p>\n Longtime Fresno Bee editor John Rich (right), who died Oct. 1, 2026, balanced a dedicated life in journalism, with also being a devoted father and husband. Rich and Denise (second to the right), his wife of 40 years, raised two children who\u2019d go onto excel in high school athletics and then become coaches. Son Andrew Rich (second to the left) is the Boise State University softball coach. Daughter Tori Hildebrandt (left) is the varsity softball coach at the Washington Union High. Courtesy photo Denise Rich
Former Fresno Bee managing editor John Rich died on Oct. 1, 2026, at 64 years old. He spent 39 years at The Bee, working in a variety of roles and always helping raise the quality of journalism along the way through his work ethic, news judgment and care for his colleagues. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA THE FRESNO BEE <\/p>\n
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