In Memoriam: Ken Ridley

Native Californian, Ken Ridley, recently passed away. Many of us in Northern California became used to seeing Ken in his wheelchair at ‘Practice in the Park’ in San Mateo. We will miss him. In his honor, East Bay teachers planted a Japanese Maple in the Garden at Central Park in San Mateo. His quiet support of his son, Steve, and his wife, Hope [Ridley] from the sidelines told the world how he felt about T’ai Chi Chih.

Ken was a student at Healds Business School, serving in the Navy in World War II. Afterward, he worked on the waterfront, as a Certified Service Contractor dealing with import/export. Family- and community-oriented, Ken participated in activities which supported these interests. Diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at 40, he was wheelchair bound by age 65.

He loved nature, comedy, old movies, and crossword puzzles; he wrote limericks and enjoyed reading modern authors. Memorial Services were held on April 1. Our TCC family expresses its condolences to the Ridley family and acknowledges the cycle of life (birth-death-rebirth) with the passing of Ken Ridley from this life to the next.