Thomas Howard Ridley

Thomas Howard Ridley, Jr., was born on December 9, 1922, to Thomas Howard Ridley Sr., of Thompson Station, Tennessee, and Evelyn Hazelwood of Indianapolis. When Tom was born, the family of six lived at 735 Center Street, an address in one of the neighborhoods surrounding historic Indiana Avenue. At birth, he began a love affair with Indiana Avenue and all that the area offered to Black families and Black people. He loved roaming the streets of the thriving area by foot and on bicycle and hanging out listening to all the jazz music pouring out of the homes and establishments.

In 1931, after the sudden death of his father, Tom and his family moved north to 608 W 28th St. He missed the Avenue but was happy to have indoor plumbing in the new home. He attended Crispus Attucks High School but left after a couple of years to work for his older brother, Laurence, who owned a couple of trucks and was an entrepreneur forming a delivery business.

In January of 1943, Tom temporarily left his beloved Indianapolis to serve in World War II to support the country that did not value him nearly as much as they should have. He sailed on the Duchess of Bedford to England, then on D-day he and his company members, Unit #3684 Quartermaster Truck Company, 5th Regiment, sailed to France, and served all over Europe until January 1946, keeping the fighting troops stocked with all necessary supplies.

Upon his return to Indianapolis in 1946, Tom lived with his mother and stepfather, who had now moved to 2857 N Capitol Ave. He re-enrolled at Crispus Attucks and completed his high school education, graduating with the Class of 1947. During this time, he was reacquainted with and subsequently fell in love with Mary Louise Holliman, who had also grown up near Indiana Avenue, at 510 N. Blackford St. She had finished high school early, then graduated from Butler University with a teaching degree at 20 and was already teaching high school math at Attucks by the fall semester of 1945 at the age of 21. Although he never was actually in one of her classes, and even though he was two years older than his future wife, Tom still faced plenty of teasing about having dated his teacher. Tom and Louise married on June 18, 1948, six months after Tom attained his high school diploma.

After marrying, the Ridleys moved north and east, eventually settling at 3317 Ralston Avenue to raise a family. They joined Witherspoon Presbyterian Church (located then on Paris Ave.) and remained faithful members throughout their lives. Tom worked for more than three decades for the United States Postal Service, eventually rising through the ranks to attain a supervisory role. The family lived a good life on the northeast side of town, but Tom and Louise always dreamed of coming back “home” to Indiana Avenue, where they had both grown up. They, along with Louise’s sister, Nancy Johnson, took the opportunity in 1995 to move back into Ransom Place when the lots on the 800 and 900 blocks of Paca Street were released for sale. They bought a corner lot, built a new duplex on the land they all loved, and moved back to their true home in February, 1996.

Tom became renowned as a great historian of the Indiana Avenue and surrounding areas, and at the age of 90 he wrote and published his memoir, From the Avenue, to great acclaim. His book has been popular in local book clubs and was taught in the anthropology program at IUPUI. In his retirement, he worked as the sole docent of the glorious Madam Walker Theatre building (now Madam Walker Legacy Center) for over two decades, regaling thousands of locals and tourists alike with historically accurate stories of the revered Madam, the Avenue, and surrounding neighborhoods, bringing history to life daily for his listeners. Print and visual media journalists, filmmakers, historians, documentarians, professors, and podcasters from all over the country have sought him out to interview, film, learn from, and just hang out with him.

Until May of 2023, Tom lived on his own, cooked for himself, and at 100 years old, drove himself in his immaculately maintained Cadillac to the grocery and to run errands. As his knowledge, wisdom, selflessness, humor, and joie de vivre clearly demonstrated, Thomas Howard Ridley, Jr. was a truly amazing man who loved God and talked out loud to Him every day for the last two months of his life.

Tom passed away on June 4, 2024, and is survived by his daughter, Katherine Ellen Ridley-Merriweather; son-in-love Eric Vincent Merriweather; niece Evelyn Ilona Ridley-Turner (Richard); nephews Laurence Howard Ridley ll (Magdalena), Rodney Eric Ridley (Trina), and Martin Elliott Ridley Jr. (Sheila); great-nieces Linda Ridley Ham, Adrienne Merritt (Frank), and Stephanie Geno (Ryan); great-nephews Jeffrey Richard Turner, Jason Eric Turner (Alyse), and William Daniel Ridley; great-great grandchildren Asher Geno and Elizabeth Bentz-Turner; goddaughter Paula Marie Reid; and devoted grand-dogs and bedside guardians, Rhino and Lennon. In heaven, Thomas is reunited with his beloved wife of 62 years, Mary Louise; oldest daughter, Diane Louise; only granddaughter, Ridley Victoria Morgan; sister Mildred Ridley Jacks; brothers Laurence Howard and Martin Elliott; nephew Michael Elliot Ridley; and niece Lynne Alea Ridley.

In lieu of flowers, please honor Tom by contributing to his favorite charity, the Ridley Victoria Scholarship Fund, which honors his granddaughter. Please click the link below to donate directly, or contact Kathi Ridley-Merriweather, [email protected], for alternative methods of donation.

Tom’s memorial service will be held on Friday, June 28, 2024, at 12:00 noon, at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church, 3535 W. Kessler N. Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46222.