Timothy Ray Ridge, my father-in-law, and my very dear friend,
died unexpectedly of a heart attack in the early hours of the morning on Sunday,
December 20th; after visiting his mother Carol through a window at her assisted
living home with his wife Barbara, sister Dawn and her grandchildren, his
daughter and son-in-law, and three of his seven loving and energetic
grandchildren. He passed after seeing his
beloved Ohio State Buckeyes clinch the Big10 Championship after fewer games
played than in any other season in history.
But knowing Tim, he had watched every minute there was to watch this year.
He was certainly a fan of the Buckeyes, but an even bigger fan of his family. He watched hours upon hours of his grandchildren’s
soccer games, football games, swim meets, baseball games, track meets, cross country
meets, choir concerts, band concerts, piano recitals, and holiday programs. He genuinely enjoyed every single minute of
it. He was a true fan of his family and
everyone in it.
Tim cheered on his beloved son Sean and beautiful daughter Tanya
through decades of youth sports, not as a spectator, but as a coach, and even
as a soccer league administrator. When
his kids aged out of teams he could coach he transitioned to the role of FIFA certified
soccer referee, a role he took a great deal of pride in, investing in the young
players, he loved the game, but loved the players and what they learned from it
so much more. He was a fan of Sean as he
completed his college education, earning a doctorate after several master’s
degrees, and eventually becoming a Dean and professor at Johnson University. This was a point of great pride for Tim.
As proud as he was of Sean’s education and vocation, he was
infinitely more proud of Sean’s family.
Tim loved his daughter-in-law Beth dearly and their four children and thought
of them daily, cheering for their sports, life, and academic achievements from
Ohio, and visiting them in Tennessee as often as he was able. Tim genuinely loved Ethan, Charis, Levi, and
Zeke and wanted them to know, even though he struggled at times with how to say
it, that each of them was uniquely loved and immensely important to him.
Tim and Barb have been active and indispensable in the life
of their daughter and her family. They
were constant sources of babysitting, puppysitting, and support as they moved
from Swanton, to Jackson, to Orrville and eventually to Ashland, where Tim and
Barb finally settled. They moved each
time to be close to family, to invest themselves, and to share life with them. Tim and Barb were present at nearly every
possible event of “the boys”, even in the difficult 2020 seasons. Caedon, Brody and Greyson, who nearly shared
a birthday with Tim, will miss him at every event from here on out. Tim was incredibly proud of his daughter and her
career as a nurse, but even more so of the life she worked to create with her
husband Chris. Tim enjoyed watching the
couple learn life’s many lessons and was always both encouraging and ornery in
his advice and admiration regarding their milestones and achievements.
Before being a grandfather, even a father, Tim was a husband. He loved Barbara unconditionally for nearly
50 years. He took his role as provider
seriously, and he provided Barb with the best life he possibly could, but most
of all, he truly valued her as his constant partner and participant in the life
they shared, a life of love. Love of
God, and His only son Jesus. Love of his
son and daughter and their spouses. Love
of his grandchildren. Love of his mother,
his sister, and her family. Love of his
four-legged furry sidekick, Kibbles.
Life took Tim from Findlay, Ohio to Slippery Rock,
Pennsylvania where he played football for the university and won the heart of Barbara,
to Morocco, Africa where their son was born, to Coldwater, Michigan where his
daughter was born, to Swanton, Ohio where they raised their family and where he
worked as an air traffic controller, to wherever he felt he was needed most to
support and cheer on his family. And now,
near the end of this crazy year, he moves to Heaven, where he is now praising
the Jesus he knew so well, spending Christmas this year in the presence of his
Lord and Savior.
Tim will be missed by those who loved him, which, quite
honestly, is nearly everyone who was lucky enough to have known him. His quiet, but mischievous nature was
magnetic. He will be missed by his
mother and sister, by his son and daughter, by his grandchildren, by former coworkers
and teammates, by students on the buses he drove and by me, his son-in-law, who
would give nearly anything for one more cup of coffee, or glass of wine with him. Tim was a good, good man and a very good friend,
and I will miss him the rest of my days as I spend them doing my best to love
his daughter and grandsons, along with the rest of the family, unconditionally;
with just a touch of ornery, just like he taught me.
