Obituary of Wayne Lee Ridings

Memorial services for Wayne Lee Ridings of Elsberry, MO will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, March 7, 2014 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home in Elsberry. J. Larry Carter of Carter-Ricks Funeral Homes will officiate. Inurnment for Wayne and Charlette Ridings will be in the Elsberry City Cemetery in Elsberry. Serving as pallbearers will be Bradley Ridings, Matthew Ridings, Rodney Gardner and Larry Lemkuhl. Mr. Ridings, 74, passed away Monday morning, March 3, 2014 at Barnes St. Peters Hospital in St. Peters, MO. Born May 27, 1939 in Bell City, MO, he was son of Earsley J. and Lilly Garland Ridings. He served his country as a Seebees in the U.S. Navy from December 3, 1962 until September 2, 1964; then served in the Navy Reserve until September, 1967. He was united in marriage on December 23, 1960 in Cairo, IL to Charlette Bernice Moore. This union was blessed with two children, Terry and Kristy. He was employed for many years in commercial construction as a heavy equipment operator, retiring in 1998. He was a member of the Operating Engineers, Local #513 in St. Louis, MO. He was also a member of the Elsberry American Legion Post #226 and the Sons of the American Legion. He was a frequent visitor of the VFW Post #9064 in Elsberry. He was preceded in death by his father, Earsley Ridings (when Wayne was a young child); his mother and step-father, Lilly and Willard "Buck" Mecker; one brother, Donald Ridings; and his beloved wife of 52 years, Charlette Ridings who died April 6, 2013. Survivors include one son, Terry Ridings and his wife, Tammera, of Maryland Heights, MO; one daughter, Kristy Ridings Gardner and her husband, Rodney, of Florissant, MO; and four grandchildren, Bradley, Matthew, Katie and Taylor. He also leaves one brother, Charles Ridings and his wife, Pat, of Millington, TN; one sister, Norma Blankenship and her husband, Kenneth, of Benton, MO; several nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends. Memorials may be made to the Siteman Cancer Center in care of Carter-Ricks Funeral Home, 107 South Fifth Street, Elsberry, MO 63343.