Richard "Dick" Denham Ridley's Obituary
Richard Denham Ridley, better know as, “Dick”, left us May 4th, 2024, for his Heavenly reward (and rich desserts at heavens banquet table), just one week shy of his 92nd birthday. Besides leaving his beloved bride, Shirley Treasure Ridley (as well as a pile of papers she would have appreciated help with), he also leaves his three children, Cindy (and Will) Kok, Richard (and Debbie) Ridley, and Tricia (and Tim) Fuller, twelve grandchildren, and almost fourteen great grandchildren (the last one is still a little bun in the oven).
Dick was born in New York City, NY, on May 11, 1932 (before the dinosaurs even existed). His parents Vincent and Beatrice Ridley and brother Bill beat him to the finish line.
Growing up in Larchmont, NY, he enjoyed all the antics of a normal boy, playing in the brook that divided the street in front of his house, befriending a crow, feeding ducks, and who knows what else at the pond down the street. Back then houses didn’t have fences. They had rows of bushes instead, where one could always find a secret passage to neighboring yards. Then there was the glorious dirt under the front porch where Dick and his brother spent hours digging and playing. Years later his own children would discover some of his long-abandoned toys.
By the time he reached High School graduation, he had set his sights on pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines. There he was destined to meet that “Beautiful Bride” at a joint function with the gals from Colorado Women’s College.
December 20th,1953, “the two became one”. Fast forward, on December 20th, 2023, they joyfully celebrated SEVENTY WONDERFUL YEARS together!
Between those dates, there’s a whole encyclopedia of history and a multitude of moves. His days serving in the Navy were divided between RI, GA, VA, and CA. Later his career as a Chemical Engineer with several oil companies took him from Northern CA, PA (where he made igloos for his kids), to Ohio, So CA, CO (where he headed up an Oil Shale Project), then on to VA as a VP in the Occidental Petroleum. When there was reduction in force so he no longer had a job…
That’s when God started changing his heart and his direction.
Before the family left CA, God got ahold of him in an old empty commercial chicken house where his daughter, Cindy, took him to a Bible Study group she was attending. He didn’t know what he’d find that night when they left the house, but he came face to face with the incredible love of God, and it turned his life around! When Shirley was miraculously healed of a tumor at an Assembly of God church where a Catholic priest was ministering, they jumped ship from the Methodist Church over to the Assemblies.
Around the time the job ceased to exist, God pointed him towards ministry. He started with courses in counseling which later led him to pursue his credentials as a pastor within the AOG. There he and Shirley led a young marrieds’ class (many of which keep in touch with them still) until one day the Lord opened a door, that NO MAN could close. God air dropped a group of gypsies in their laps, complete with childhood arranged marriages, the Romani language, isolation from anyone ‘non gypsy’ or gadje, and whose women are fortune tellers operating in the demonic realm…. WOW!
25 wonderful years of ministry to this culturally unique people, living right under our noses, but out of sight, God released him from that pastorate, and moved them all the way from Rhode Island to Oklahoma, to be near eight of their grandchildren where they also had the privilege of leading a small church in Hollis, OK. When the family moved back to Tulsa, they soon followed, eventually moving in with Cindy and Will where Dick was lovingly looked after until the moment he passed.
Ice cream (most any flavor) was his favorite. Travel, and photography close runner ups. Later in life he took up scuba diving where he tried out his photography skills on funky fish and ornamental coral. It has been said that he wore his camera like it was his favorite ice cream cone.
Our memories are many and we are so blessed to have been recipients of Dick’s legacy full of rich and eternal treasures.
A public visitation will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2024, from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM, at Floral Haven Funeral Home: 6500 S 129th E Ave, Broken Arrow, OK 74012.
Anyone wishing to send flowers may do so by ordering through our website or by calling Floral Designs by Floral Haven at (918) 459-1525. Any independent florists may deliver flowers directly to Floral Haven Funeral Home by 2:00 PM on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in order for them to be set out and properly displayed for Dick's visitation.
A funeral service to honor the life of Dick will be held at 3:00 PM on Friday, May 10, 2024, at Floral Haven Funeral Home Chapel, located at 6500 S 129th E Ave, Broken Arrow, OK 74012, with Pastor Mike Cooper officiating. The Navy Honor Guard will be in attendance to render Military Honors in honor of Dick and his service to his country.
Interment will follow at 4:15 PM, immediately after conclusion of the chapel service at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens in Veterans Field of Honor, Phase III.
Arrangements entrusted to Floral Haven Funeral Home.
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