Obituaries

John Davenport de Ridder was born in Oakland, CA on June 30, 1934. He was the only child of John and Harriet de Ridder. At the age of 9 he lost his father and was then raised by his mother, along with many aunts, uncles, and cousins (whom he considered the brothers and sisters he never had). Many weekends and vacations were spent with them and he loved every minute of it. Growing up with a single parent was difficult, but John and his mother managed very well. His mother remarried while John was in high school to Carroll Myers. After high school, he joined the US Army, trained at Ft. Lewis, Texas, and arrived in Korea a week after the war concluded. He was very proud of his service and remained in the military for most of his life: first with the Army, later as a reservist with the California Air National Guard, and finally with the Air Force Reserves. He retired in 1995.

In 1963, at a friend’s party, John met Patricia Cavanaugh. They got engaged after surviving an upside-down Porsche 356 Super 90 (a result of the salesman’s exuberance during a test drive) and were subsequently married in March of 1964. Although he spent a majority of his life in California in and around the Bay Area, opportunity called to work for the Boeing Aircraft Company so he and his family lived in Auburn, WA from 1966 to 1971. After he was laid off, the family moved back to CA to be near John’s recently widowed mother. From the late 1970’s until the base closed, he worked as a Pneudraulics Mechanic for the Alameda Naval Air Re-work Facility. He and his family have lived in Newark, CA since 1975.

John was not an extraordinary person to the outside world. If you asked him if he thought he’d made a difference in the world, he probably would have shrugged his shoulders and said, “not particularly.” He’d have been wrong. To those who knew and loved him, he was an affably natured person who always loved to talk. He was quiet and warm, and he loved to share and show appreciation. He had a big heart. He made the world a nicer place to be.

John had a great many loves in his life. Planes, trains, automobiles, and the occasional boat or two were all high on the list. Anyone who has visited a car or plane museum with John will attest to the fact that he knew more about the history on display than the people who worked there. He was a member of two traditional jazz societies in the Bay Area and the Native Sons of the Golden West. John loved history, old comedy movies, music (particularly Dixieland Jazz), reading (he had a substantial library filled with all his favorite subjects), and of course a good meal. He was the original geek, as a lover of all gadgets. Most of all though, beyond everything else, he loved his family and friends. Family, to him, was the best part of it all. He relished every minute he spent with them, as they did with him.

John left us at age 83 on the sunny afternoon of March 28, 2018. The world is a little less friendly without him in it. His beaming smile will be sorely missed. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Patty, two sons Jon and William, and daughter Samantha (mar. Rushmi Malaviarachchi).

Memorial Mass will be Tuesday, June 5, 2018, 10:30AM at St. Edward's Catholic Church, 5788 Thornton Ave, Newark.