John Cole Eldridge, 84, retired Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, died at Anne Arundel Medical Center on July 27 after a lengthy battle with congestive heart failure. Born on November 13, 1933 to the late Arthur C. Eldridge and Jean K. Eldridge, Judge Eldridge was also preceded in death by his wife of nearly 56 years, Dayne W. Eldridge and his sister, Phyllis Eldridge. He is survived by his daughter, Kathryn E. Kuethe and her husband Rick; his son, John C. Eldridge, Jr. and John's wife, Lisa; his grandson, Sam Kuethe and Sam's wife Kelly; his grandson Mike Kuethe; and Lisa's daughters Michelle and Sydney. He is also survived by his brother, Richard C. Eldridge of Pine Bush, NY; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Robert and Linda Worsham of Daytona Beach, FL; a niece, several nephews, and "The Lunch Bunch".
Born and raised in Baltimore County, Jack was a resident of Annapolis since 1962. He was a graduate of Gilman School, Harvard University, and the University of Maryland School of Law. Admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1960, he served as law clerk to Judge Simon Sobeloff, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. From 1961 to 1969, he served as a trial attorney and later Assistant Chief of the Civil Division, Appellate Section, of the U.S. Department of Justice. He was briefly in private practice before his part time duties as Chief Legislative Officer to Maryland Governor Marvin Mandel quickly became a full time occupation. He was sworn in as a Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland on January 7, 1974, where he served until reaching mandatory retirement at age 70 in 2003. After his official retirement, he returned to the bench as a recalled judge for another ten years.
A lifelong swimmer and a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club for over 50 years, Jack enjoyed numerous hobbies, including fishing and boating, the piano, gardening, picking crabs, and reading murder mysteries. He loved to walk on the beach, particularly the hard sand in Daytona. He had an extensive collection of classic and silent movies. He followed the Baltimore Colts, the Ravens and the Orioles. Spending time with his grandchildren and amateur photography were his greatest joys.
The family will receive visitors at the John M. Taylor Funeral Home, 147 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, MD 21401 on Saturday, August 4, 2018 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 PM. Interment will be private at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery in Myersville, MD. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The Public Justice Center, One North Charles St., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21201.
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