William E. Ridgeway

A Memorial Service celebrating William Edward Ridgeway’s life will be held on Sunday, August 7, 2016 from noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home, 201 N. Northwest Hwy., Palatine.

Bill passed away on August 1, 2016, at his home in Forest Lake, Illinois, at the age of 88, surrounded by his devoted family.

He was the beloved husband of Maureen (nee Shean); loving father of Mary M. Ridgeway, William B. (Margaret) Ridgeway, Patricia Williams, the late Eugene Ridgeway, Janet Rynell, John (Lori) Ridgeway, Cathy (Dave) Filippini, the late Robert Ridgeway, and Anne (Rick) Ruiz; cherished stepfather of Maureen (Timothy) Fronczak Rogers, Patricia Fronczak and Theresa (Joseph) Budris; caring grandfather of William R. Ridgeway, Caitlin Ridgeway, Robert Williams, Phil Williams, Austin Ridgeway, Casandra (Sean) Collett, David Filippini Jr., Jacob Filippini, Chase Feeley, Ryan Feeley, Jaclynn Fronczak, Kathleen (Noa) Fronczak, Sarah (Cory) Fisher, Renee Budris, Bohuslav Rogers and Jakub Rogers; great-grandfather of Bailey Fisher; dear brother of Elizabeth (the late Kenneth) Schafer and the late Robert (Gladys) Ridgeway; fond uncle to many.

Born on September 24, 1927, in Trenton, New Jersey, he grew up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.  A proud veteran of the U.S. Navy, he began his career with Pure Oil and remained in that field for more than four decades, designing service stations and truck stops throughout the Midwest.  He also designed numerous other buildings over his long career, including the Bartlett Public Library.  Known for his great sense of humor and beautiful smile, he was a lifelong sports enthusiast and animal lover and was also passionate about his hobbies, which included woodworking, model building and cycling.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dementia Society of America at http://www.dementiasociety.org/