John Stephen Ridella

John Stephen Ridella, 71, died Saturday, June 18, 2011 after complications from colon cancer. He was born January 29, 1940 in Cleveland, OH to the late John and Alice (Gabor) Ridella. John earned his undergraduate degree from Ohio State University and his MBA from Duke University. He retired from Cooper Industries after 35 years of service at the following locations: Mt. Vernon, OH; Jamestown, NY; Apex, NC; Greenville, MS; Cullman, AL and Raleigh, NC.

John is survived by his wife of 26 years, Earlene Ridella of Cary, NC; daughter, Jacquie DeLoach (Tommy) and their son, John Thomas; daughter, Jennifer Watson (Steve) and their two daughters, Erin and Meredith; step-daughter, Mary-Ryan Smith (Mark); brother, Howard Ridella and sister, Alice Donnelly.

John was predeceased by his first wife, Joan Martino.

A memorial mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church. Inurnment will follow in the church columbarium.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 -8:00 p.m., Monday, June 20 at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 SE Maynard Rd, Cary, NC.

The family offer their heartfelt thanks to the extraordinary team of caregivers who ministered to John and his family these past four and a half years: the nurses and staff of 7 West and in the ICU at Rex Hospital; Dr. Mark Yoffe and the nurses and staff at the Cancer Center of North Carolina; and, especially, our beloved Dr. Seth Weinreb of Raleigh Surgical Specialists.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org)

Condolences and fond memories may be offered at www.brownwynnecary.com