- Date Of Birth: July 1, 1931
- Date Of Death: December 11, 2021
- State: Ohio
Tommie Lee Ridgeway was born on July 1, 1931 to the union of Ed Lee and Lillie Vandable Ridgeway in Boligee, Alabama. He departed this life on December 11, 2021 surrounded by his children and grandchildren. Tommie graduated from DePriest Consolidated High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1950. Tommie accepted Jesus Christ into his life at an early age.
Tommie entered the U.S. Army on July 17, 1952. He served in the infantry for nearly two years in Korea. He was honorably discharged from military service on April 16, 1954.
On August 10, 1957, Tommie married Esther B. Sumlin and moved to Cleveland Ohio. They were blessed with five children – three daughters and two sons. Always, a proponent of hard work, Tommie worked at Republic Steel/LTV Steel for 38 years. Never one to sit still long, Tommie continued working throughout his retirement as a landscaper for several families. He enjoyed gardening and took great pride in his yard and vegetable garden. Tommie became a neighborhood staple on East 125th Street in Cleveland Ohio, often sharing his garden’s abundance with friends and strangers; and using his snowblower to plow sidewalks and driveways for his neighbors.
Tommie was fondly known as “Pops”. He was a fun-loving man who never – ever – met a stranger.
Tommie’s transition from this life reunited him with his beloved wife, Esther Ridgeway; his son, Michael Todd Ridgeway; his parents, Ed and Lillie Ridgeway, and his siblings Delia Baker, Willie Ridgeway and Honnie Ridgeway. He leaves to cherish his memory his daughters, Valerie Ridgeway, Brenda (Terrance) Bateman and Michell (Leroy) Brown; son, Gregory (Theresa) Ridgeway; daughter-in-law, Kathy Ridgeway; siblings, Thad Ridgeway, Richard Ridgeway, Alice Crowther and Lillie B. Waters; sister-in-law, Geneva Ridgeway; 14 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.
