John Clark Ridenour

John was born October 26, 1924, in Toledo, Ohio, the son of John Warren Ridenour and Fay Ellen Slough Ridenour, the last of seven children. He married Beatrice Walker Ridenour in West Virginia in 1945, and they enjoyed a 62-year marriage until her death in 2007. He is survived by his children: Sharon Ridenour Wrenn, of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Alan Ridenour, of McGaheysville, Virginia; and Virginia Ridenour Baldwin of Spokane, Washington. He was a loving grandfather of five: Melanie, John Matthew, Lauren, Ross, and Eric; and great-grandfather of five: Mackenzie, Alexandra, Josie Bea, Johnson, and Caroline.

A member of the Greatest Generation, John proudly served in the U.S. Navy as a Fire Controlman Third Class on an LST ship in the Pacific during World War II. Later while on leave in Washington, D.C., he met Beatrice. When they married, they moved to Jumping Branch, West Virginia, to help operate Beatrice’s family mercantile store. Later, he worked as a telegrapher from 1950 to 1958 for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in small train stations all over Southern West Virginia.

In the late 1950’s he began working at the Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation in Ravenswood, West Virginia, where the family later relocated. He and Beatrice and family were members of Calvary Baptist Church and later the Second Baptist Church in Ravenswood. He and Beatrice worked hard and made sure all their children were able to graduate from college.

When John retired after 25 years at Kaiser, he and Beatrice realized a life-long dream of living in Florida. They moved to 1370 Melshire Avenue in Deltona. They were members of the Deltona Lakes Baptist Church and volunteered for 27 years at Central Florida Regional Hospital.

Over their 62-year marriage, John and Beatrice traveled extensively in all 50 states, Canada, and Europe. John visited all six continents during his lifetime.

Not long after Beatrice passed away in 2007, John moved to live with Virginia and Alan Baldwin in Chapel Hill, Tennessee. Virginia and Alan became his loving caretakers as he suffered several serious health problems. He shared many happy vacations with his children over those years, camping trips and vacations in Washington, D.C., San Antonio; Santa Fe; Las Vegas; Phoenix; Chattanooga; Nashville; and Memphis.

This year in May, John moved to Spokane, Washington, with Virginia and Alan due to their job relocation. He suffered a broken hip in early May, but he had learned to walk again by June. John was amazingly resilient; the family referred to him as the Energizer Bunny. He enjoyed his final days at the Baldwin’s mountaintop home outside Spokane.

John was a lover of trains. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, and walking on the Florida beaches. He was a kind and generous man and will be remembered by his family for his quiet nature, his great sense of humor, and his love of family and of the Lord.

A celebration of John’s life will be held Tuesday, August 2, at 10:30 a.m., at Baldwin-Fairchild Oaklawn, 5000 County Road 46A, in Sanford.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the USS LST Ship Memorial Maintenance Fund in Evansville, Indiana, at lstmemorial.org