Ridge, Kenneth (Ken) (Died)

Kenneth (Ken) Ridge died on

the 19th of August, twelve days

after his 91st birthday. He was

a passionate educator,

community leader, and

naturalist, who spent most of

his life in Oshawa, a city where

his contributions and influence

can be found everywhere, from

libraries to community

gardens. After graduating from

Victoria College, he became a

history teacher, and later VicePrincipal and Principal of both

R.S. McLaughlin and G.L.

Roberts Collegiates in Oshawa.

He knew every student's name,

and had a reputation for being

strict, but always fair. He was

famous for trying to talk a

young Bobby Orr out of

hockey, telling him there was

no future in it. He took early

retirement and plunged into a

dizzying array of community

leadership roles. He was

elected to the Durham Region

School Board as a trustee. He

was Chair of the Library Board,

President of Rotary, Chair of

the Cancer Society (he was a

three-time cancer survivor),

and he played leadership roles

in a wide variety of historical

and environmental groups.

Ken, and his best friend and

wife Edna, were active

parishioners in St Luke's and

later Knox Presbyterian

Churches, and in the winters,

they were fixtures at the

Oshawa Ski Club. Ken was a

Scoutmaster, and introduced

numerous young people to

camping, hiking, orienteering,

and the tying of bowlines. An

avid birder, for many years he

and Edna were volunteers and

supporters of Thickson's

Woods where Ken could often

be found, binoculars in hand,

generously sharing his

extraordinary knowledge of the

natural world with others.

Family vacations often centred

around favourite birding

locations, such as Presqu'ile

Provincial Park. A civil war buff,

other vacations involved trips

to obscure civil war battlefields

where his family might be

dispersed across the battlefield

so he could visualize where the

various armies had been

deployed. A dedicated

anglophile and monarchist, he

adored all things English and

royal. He was a lifelong

admirer of The Master himself,

P.G. Wodehouse, and read

every Jeeves and Wooster

book countless times. He had

an endless variety of hobbies,

including gardening,

genealogy, photography,

cycling, dog training, canoeing,

sailing, and camping. The rock

tumbling, playing recorder, and

embedding things in plastic

resin were mercifully shortlived hobbies. Ken had a long,

happy life of service and

community. As an educator

and volunteer he enriched a lot

of lives and made his

community a better place. As a

naturalist he made the world a

little bit greener and healthier.

His exceptionally rich life was

filled with family, countless

dear friends, love, laughter,

and his beloved German

Shepherds. By any standard,

Ken's was a life well and

generously lived. Ken spent his

final years in Extendicare in

Oshawa where the truly

wonderful staff ensured he had

a safe and happy home. A

particular thanks to the kind

and caring Brianna. His

younger sister Joan died too

young in 2020. Ken is greatly

loved, and greatly missed, by

his wife of 65 years, Edna,

daughter Ellen Brohman

(Brad), and son James Ridge

(Donna). In his later years his

six grandkids, of whom he was

immensely proud, were his

favourite topic of conversation.

He is missed by Vanessa,

Amelia, Joel, Charlie, and Alex

Brohman, and by Maxwell

Ridge (Marion). Ken was a strict

grammarian, so we have used

the Oxford Comma in his

honour. In lieu of flowers

please consider a donation to

Thickson's Woods or Knox

Presbyterian Church in

Oshawa. There will be a

visitation at Armstrong Funeral

Home (124 King St E, Oshawa)

from 1-2 PM on Saturday the

28th of August, followed by a

private family service. Due to

COVID19 restrictions,

registration is required to

attend the visitation. If you

wish to attend, please visit

www.armstrongfh.ca or call

905-433-4711 to register.

Online condolences may be left at www.armstrongfh.ca