Railroaders' Nostalgia > Obit from the Coast & Shasta Div

Thought I would post for retired officers and engine service folks. Just got word that JWR, Wes Ridgeway, passed away in Roseville on March 9, 2017, from cancer. He was a hoghead out of Dunsmuir and also a company officer(SP)on a lot of divisions. He was 75. Talked to his brother RMR, Ray Ridgeway today (he is 83) and it was pretty quick, less than a year. Ray was an officer from 1970 on. Both close friends

Our numbers are thinning. Not to many old heads out of SLO left. I have a picture of the 3 of us at Fishers Steak House in SLO from 1970. I will try to post it when I get a chance.

RIP Wes.



Nudge

Here is a photo of Wes, (upper right), in happier days when he passed through
SP's simulator some time between March 1971-March 1973.

I was very surprised to run across Wes again in 1993 after he hired out on the BN in Seattle and went through promotion
again. He worked briefly as a yardmaster around Tacoma and then I lost track of him again. Seems like he
worked around Vancouver Wa. for a while and then I lost track of him.

I'm so sorry to read of his passing and my prayers go out to the family, Ray and his son Brandon (Wes's nephew) who is a BNSF engineer
in Klamath Falls the last that I knew.

Charlie

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Thanks Sellar... I worked with the youngest brother Dan. He was a San Joaquin Engineer that worked out of Los Angeles and Bakersfield. As I remember he was on a light helper between Caliente and Ilmom near tunnel 1/2 and was rear ended by an ATSF train. He suffered a back injury and never returned back to work.. I knew of Wes and Ray sorry to hear of his passing...

Dan wound up working as a school teacher in the valley and Ray told me he finally retired.

Nudge

I never met my fellow Roseville resident Wes but Ray was our RFE in San Jose when I went into engine service in 1973. He seemed like a pretty decent guy...even if he did write me up for getting off an engine wrong (face forward) once. Nice to hear Ray is still doing well at age 83, Rest in Peace Wes Ridgeway.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/17 12:05 by johnw.