Roy J. Ridley, 1875-1945

RIDLEY

Posted By: Emmet County IAGenWeb Coordinator (email)
Date: 3/11/2009 at 18:35:03

Roy J. Ridley Dies in California from Heart Attack

Roy J. Ridley, 69, former and prominent Estherville resident, died yesterday noon from a heart attack at his home in Bell, Calif. He moved to California several years ago after disposing of his business interests here.

Services will be held Monday at 1 p.m. in the Roy Klinker mortuary, Huntington Park, Calif., and burial will be at Forest Lawn in Glendale.

He is survived by his widow; two sons, James Hubert and Charles Everett and four daughters, Marion, Almira, Dorothy and Lois. A son, Robert William, died in infancy. [Robert William died at age 10].

Roy James Ridley was born Oct. 8, 1875, in Estherville, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Watson Ridley. James Ridley was a brother of Robert E. Ridley, one of the founders of the Estherville settlement and for whose wife, the city was named.

Roy Ridley was educated in Estherville and attended high school here and was married Nov. 5, 1896, to Lydia Doolittle.

From 1895, after a year in California, until 1902 he was a livestock dealer and from 1902 to 1910 he served as auditor of Emmet county. He served as member of the board of supervisors, member of the city council, served on the board of education and acted as president, served as secretary and director of the Estherville Improvement company and was president of the Oak Hill cemetery association.

He served a president of the Chamber of Commerce, was a member of Kiwanis International, was a life member of the BPO Elks lodge, member of the Masonic lodge and was a member of the Baptist church, which he served as finance committee chairman.

Upon moving to California he sold his dairy business to William Kinnard.

Contributed by: Ruth Hackett. Source: Estherville Daily News, Estherville, Iowa, Sept. 22, 1945.