Thomas J. Ridgeway II

Thomas (Jimmy) Ridgeway, Jr., passed away in his home in Wittman, MD. He was 94 years old. Born on Tilghman Island, MD, he was the son of Thomas and Gladys Ridgeway. He is survived by two of his sons, John L., who lives in the Poconos, PA, and Robert G. and his wife Cathy of Pittsburgh, PA; a grandson, Louie Ridgeway of Pittsburgh, PA; his sister and brother-in-law, Florence and Les Burdett of Claiborne, MD; and his brother Earl and his wife Sissy Ridgeway of Olcott, NY. Growing up in Niagara Falls, NY, Jim attended LaSalle High School and graduated in 1946. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the Unites States Marine Corps and was stationed at Camp Lejeune. After being honorably discharged, Jim attended Alfred University with a BS in Ceramic Engineering. During this time, he met the love of his life, Dorothy Rhodes, and was married in 1951. (Dorothy was affectionally referred to as “Minnie” by Jim, short for Minnie Ha Ha, because of her Mohawk Indian heritage.) During their 69 years of marriage, they moved 13 times and had three boys. (Thomas Ridgeway III, born in Trenton, NJ, passed away in March of 2022.) Jim worked for General Refractories his whole career until retiring in 1989. During their many moves, two places held a special place in their hearts-- Sproul, PA, where they met many of their closest friends, and Wittman, MD, where they retired together and had a wonderful, peaceful (for the most part) life on the water. While in Wittman, Jim was active in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary inspecting boats, for which he recently was awarded a Governor’s Citation and a Maryland General Assembly Citation for his many years of service in the Coast Guard. He was also a member of the Choptank Detachment Marine Corps League where he served as Commandant for three years and was a member of the American Legion Post 70 in Easton, MD. One of the many highlights of their retirement was a surprise 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2001 where friends and relatives came from all over the country to attend. Keeping this a secret from Dorothy was difficult, but his family pulled it off. Two other passions of Jim's during his retirement was golf and his many dogs, Sam, Sam 2, Taffy, Cyril, and Scooter. Jim played in the seniors Hog Neck Golf League every Monday and actually had his best winning year at the age of 86. It's Jim’s wish, just like his wife’s who passed away in 2020, that, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Talbot County Humane Society or Talbot Hospice. His funeral service and burial will be held on Friday, September 9, at 1pm at the Tilghman Methodist Church which will include a US Marine Honor Guard.

Thomas J. Ridgeway II

February 4, 1928 - August 15, 2022