George Thomas Riddick Jr.

He was born in Belhaven, NC on Friday, March 13, 1931 and was the oldest child of George T. and Nellie Howerin Riddick. He lived on and in the river behind their house and loved sailing the waters of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. He loved and owned old sailboats as he thought “new” sailboats looked like bathtub toys. After he graduated from high school, he attended East Carolina Teacher’s College until, during his second year, he patriotically joined the Navy to help out the Korean War effort. He was married for over 68 years to his hometown sweetheart, Gayle, who preceded him in death in 2024.

His first ship was the USS Iowa. He liked the ship and the Navy so much, he made it a career. He served in McAlester, OK as a member of the Naval Weapons Inspection team and was commissioned Ensign at Skiffes Creek Annex, Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. He served on the USS Forrestal during the Vietnam War and was on the Forrestal when it was severely damaged by fire. He spent his remaining Navy years at NWTC Atlantic, Naval Service Force Command and retired from the Naval Sea Systems Command as a Commander in 1981 after thirty years of service. He spent 3 ½ years with Systems Research Association and 10 years with the Naval Investigative Service.

He retired for good in 1994 and he and Gayle moved to Williamsburg where they led an active life surrounded by friends. He is survived by his two daughters, Georgia Riddick and Gina (Paul) Dubuisson as well as two grandchildren, Claire (Will) Humphries and Will Dubuisson. George and Gayle will be interred together at the Albert G. Horton Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk, VA at a later date. The family would like to thank Bea Osbourne and her staff with Private Care Services for their outstanding and attentive care over the last several months. The family also greatly appreciates all of the compassionate staff at Patriots Colony.

Rest easy, Commander, we have the watch.