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July 19, 2026
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 4-7 PM on Thursday,July 23, 2026 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road,Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:30 AM on Friday from thefuneral home then to Our Lady of the Valley Church, 630 Valley Road, Waynewhere a 10:30 AM Funeral Mass will be celebrated.
Interment will be in the family plot in Glendale Cemetery,28 Hoover Avenue, Bloomfield, NJ 07003.
Pat Ridgway, age 87, an over twenty year resident of Wayne, passed Sunday, July 19, 2026.
Pat was born in Yonkers, New York, and was raised in East Orange, New Jersey, where she attended Holy Name School before graduating with the Clifford Scott High School Class of 1956. Throughout her life, she called several places home, each marking a new chapter in her family's story. After beginning life in Yonkers and growing up in East Orange, Pat and Warren purchased their first home at 38 Ellas Street in Bloomfield, where they raised their young family and created countless cherished memories. In retirement, they enjoyed a quieter pace of life in Toms River before spending the last twenty years of Pat's life in Wayne, New Jersey, where she remained close to her family, friends, and beloved parish community.
Pat met the love of her life, Warren Ridgway, while he was home on leave from the United States Air Force. Introduced through family, the two quickly fell in love, and Pat married Warren at just nineteen years of age on September 14, 1957, at Holy Name Church in East Orange. Together they built a loving home and shared a devoted marriage that spanned more than forty years. Their union was blessed with four children—Linda, Karen, Warren, and Gregory—who remained the pride and joy of their lives. Through life's joys and challenges, Pat and Warren were steadfast partners, creating a home filled with love, laughter, faith, and enduring family traditions that continue to be cherished by those who knew them.
Pat will be remembered for her warm heart, unwavering devotion to her family, and her gift for making everyone feel welcome. Affectionately known as "Chatty Patty," she never met a stranger and could brighten anyone's day with her friendly conversation. Her family was the center of her world, and she expressed her love in countless ways, especially through her cooking. A firm believer in hearty, home-cooked meals, Pat's specialties were classic meat-and-potatoes dinners, and her family always knew that Sunday dinner would be on the table promptly at 4:00 p.m.—a cherished tradition that brought everyone together. For ten years, she enjoyed working in the Hallmark Card and Candy Department at Rowe Manse Emporium in Clifton, where her kind personality and love of people made her a favorite among customers and coworkers alike. When she wasn't spending time with family, Pat enjoyed relaxing in front of the television, faithfully watching Everybody Loves Raymond, Murder, She Wrote, and The Andy Griffith Show, programs whose humor, wholesome values, and timeless characters perfectly matched her personality. A devoted parishioner of Our Lady of the Valley Church in Wayne, her faith remained a guiding force throughout her life. Pat also had a special place in her heart for her beloved toy poodle, Poncho, whose faithful companionship for eighteen years brought her immense joy until his passing in the late 1980s. Whether through a heartfelt conversation, a lovingly prepared meal, or the unconditional love she shared with those around her, Pat leaves behind a legacy of kindness, faith, and family.
Pat was the loving wife of the late Warren Ridgway, Sr. (d.2000); loving mother of Linda Milone and her husband Thomas of Wayne, Karen Brauss of Toms River, the late Warren Ridgway, Jr. (d. 2022), and the late Gregory Ridgway (d. January 2026); she was the cherished grandmother of Danielle Forstenhausler, Samantha and Nicholas Milone.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 4-7 PM on Thursday,July 23, 2026 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road,Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:30 AM on Friday from thefuneral home then to Our Lady of the Valley Church, 630 Valley Road, Waynewhere a 10:30 AM Funeral Mass will be celebrated.
Interment will be in the family plot in Glendale Cemetery,28 Hoover Avenue, Bloomfield, NJ 07003.
July 19, 2026
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 4-7 PM on Thursday,July 23, 2026 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road,Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:30 AM on Friday from thefuneral home then to Our Lady of the Valley Church, 630 Valley Road, Waynewhere a 10:30 AM Funeral Mass will be celebrated.
Interment will be in the family plot in Glendale Cemetery,28 Hoover Avenue, Bloomfield, NJ 07003.
Pat Ridgway, age 87, an over twenty year resident of Wayne, passed Sunday, July 19, 2026.
Pat was born in Yonkers, New York, and was raised in East Orange, New Jersey, where she attended Holy Name School before graduating with the Clifford Scott High School Class of 1956. Throughout her life, she called several places home, each marking a new chapter in her family's story. After beginning life in Yonkers and growing up in East Orange, Pat and Warren purchased their first home at 38 Ellas Street in Bloomfield, where they raised their young family and created countless cherished memories. In retirement, they enjoyed a quieter pace of life in Toms River before spending the last twenty years of Pat's life in Wayne, New Jersey, where she remained close to her family, friends, and beloved parish community.
Pat met the love of her life, Warren Ridgway, while he was home on leave from the United States Air Force. Introduced through family, the two quickly fell in love, and Pat married Warren at just nineteen years of age on September 14, 1957, at Holy Name Church in East Orange. Together they built a loving home and shared a devoted marriage that spanned more than forty years. Their union was blessed with four children—Linda, Karen, Warren, and Gregory—who remained the pride and joy of their lives. Through life's joys and challenges, Pat and Warren were steadfast partners, creating a home filled with love, laughter, faith, and enduring family traditions that continue to be cherished by those who knew them.
Pat will be remembered for her warm heart, unwavering devotion to her family, and her gift for making everyone feel welcome. Affectionately known as "Chatty Patty," she never met a stranger and could brighten anyone's day with her friendly conversation. Her family was the center of her world, and she expressed her love in countless ways, especially through her cooking. A firm believer in hearty, home-cooked meals, Pat's specialties were classic meat-and-potatoes dinners, and her family always knew that Sunday dinner would be on the table promptly at 4:00 p.m.—a cherished tradition that brought everyone together. For ten years, she enjoyed working in the Hallmark Card and Candy Department at Rowe Manse Emporium in Clifton, where her kind personality and love of people made her a favorite among customers and coworkers alike. When she wasn't spending time with family, Pat enjoyed relaxing in front of the television, faithfully watching Everybody Loves Raymond, Murder, She Wrote, and The Andy Griffith Show, programs whose humor, wholesome values, and timeless characters perfectly matched her personality. A devoted parishioner of Our Lady of the Valley Church in Wayne, her faith remained a guiding force throughout her life. Pat also had a special place in her heart for her beloved toy poodle, Poncho, whose faithful companionship for eighteen years brought her immense joy until his passing in the late 1980s. Whether through a heartfelt conversation, a lovingly prepared meal, or the unconditional love she shared with those around her, Pat leaves behind a legacy of kindness, faith, and family.
Pat was the loving wife of the late Warren Ridgway, Sr. (d.2000); loving mother of Linda Milone and her husband Thomas of Wayne, Karen Brauss of Toms River, the late Warren Ridgway, Jr. (d. 2022), and the late Gregory Ridgway (d. January 2026); she was the cherished grandmother of Danielle Forstenhausler, Samantha and Nicholas Milone.
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