Joseph A. Ridgeway, Jr., 83, long-time resident of Bexley, Ohio and more recently of Ave Maria, Florida, passed away on January 12, 2023. He was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1939 to Dr. Joseph Ridgeway and Margaret (Tritschler) Ridgeway. He is survived by his loving wife Anne (Shanahan) Ridgeway; children Dr. Joseph Ridgeway and Marie Bruce; grandchildren John “Jack” Bruce (Lisa), Annemarie Exline (Trent), and Margaret “Maggie” Ridgeway; great-grandchildren Guadalupe “Lulu”, John, Lily, and James Bruce, and Liam Exline; brother James (Sammie) Ridgeway, and extended family members and friends. Preceded in death by brother John Ridgeway and sister Mimi Ridgeway.
He enjoyed attending his children’s and grandchildren’s high school and college sporting events, especially swimming, tennis, and golf. He had a passion for cars and owned an MG and a Model A, among others. He spent many years building model trains with his son and later his grandson. He and his family often vacationed in southwest Florida where he liked to boat and fish around Sanibel Island. Eventually he and Anne moved to Ave Maria, a quaint town near Naples.
He graduated from St. Charles Preparatory School and The Ohio State University with a degree in Civil Engineering, and attended the Traffic Institute at Northwestern University. He was a Registered Professional Engineer in Ohio and Florida, and retired from the City of Columbus after 31 years serving in several positions, culminating in City Engineer and Director of Public Service. He then joined Sticklen-Belsheim/Moody Nolan as a principal and later assumed the role of Senior Vice President with E.P. Ferris and Associates to start and manage its Traffic Engineering Section. He was a past member of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and had served as Chairman and board member of the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio; past board member of the Loggerhead Cay Condominium Association; past member of the Columbus Country Club; OSU Outstanding Civil Engineering Alumni Award recipient; and past President of the Catholic Men’s Luncheon Club. His memberships also included Phi Kappa Theta fraternity; 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus; St. Catharine’s Knight’s Council, where he served as Financial Secretary and Grand Knight; St. Catharine’s Parish and Ave Maria Parish.
Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday 10:00 a.m. at St. Catharine Church, 500 S. Gould Rd. where friends may call after 9:00 a.m. Donations may be made in his name to St. Charles Preparatory School, 2010 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43209, or Franciscan University of Steubenville.
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