Ida Lois Ridge

Ida Lois Ridge, 90, of Girard, died Sunday September 22, 2013 at Walnut Creek Nursing Center in Kettering, Ohio.  She was born January 21, 1923, in Hertford County near Murfreesboro, North Carolina, the daughter of the late William Eley & Lucy Warren. Her family which eventually included 6 children moved to Portsmouth, VA.,during the depression Lois and her siblings spent summers back at her grandparents farm in North Carolina. Lois graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth and worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad. In church one Sunday she met a handsome young man and they began dating. She and Tom Ridge were married in 1944 just before he shipped out for military service in Europe during WWII. After Tom returned the couple settled in Girard, Ohio and raised five children.  Lois was a devoted and loving housewife. Her delicious pies were known by many as she regularly baked and shared them with friends and neighbors. Lois was devoted participant in community activities serving leadership roles at the First Baptist Church and Eastern Star. When her two youngest children attended Girard High School Lois went to work there as a cook in the cafeteria. Popular there among the students and staff, she retired in 1984. Lois loved arts and crafts and was much admired for her skill in ceramic painting. She took up wood carving in senior years and belonged to several carving groups. When Lois turned ill with Alzheimer's disease she moved to Dayton, Ohio to be near daughter Linda who provided loving care to her until the end of life. She was adored and well cared for by the staff in the special care unit in which she lived and was known for her dancing. Lois never lost that rhythm and danced at her 90th birthday celebration. Her sharp sense of humor and social graces still shined through to the end of her days. Lois maintained her concern for daily household needs and the well being of her family whose presence she always cherished. She is survived by her daughter Linda (Dan) Heaton, sons, Dallas (Katrin) Ridge,  Tom (Nancy) Ridge and Tim (Matilda) Ridge, sisters, Jean(Aubrey), Carol(Jim), brother,Bob(Barbara), eleven grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren, and many loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Tom, daughter Janice, brother Willford and sister Virginia. Funeral Services will be held on Friday September 27, 2013 at 11:00 am at Blackstone Funeral Home in Girard. Family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday from 5-7pm with a Eastern Star service beginning at 6:45 pm. Interment will be held at Girard City Cemetery.

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