About Roger Ridgway
Rev. Roger E. Ridgway passed away on Monday, January 19 of natural causes at the age of 87.
A minister, activist, intellectual, jazz aficionado, poet and great wit, Roger had a subtle but
powerful way of positively influencing the lives of those who were fortunate to know him.
“Roger had both wisdom and calm presence. He had an ability to bring clarity while
maintaining safety for each person. Roger saw each person as a unique and precious
child of God. He held space for each of us to know ourselves as beloved. I shall not
soon forget his smile and his twinkling blue eyes,” said Rev. Carol Bono, a colleague who
worked with Roger through a transitional period in her church.
Born in Worthington, Minnesota, Roger became a Californian at the age of 4 when his parents,
Ralph and Marie, moved to Richmond, CA to work in the shipyards during World War II, but he
stayed in close touch with his Minnesota relatives, visiting annually with his Mom, Marie.
Throughout childhood into young adulthood,Roger was called “Corky” – a nickname his father,
Ralph, chose for him before he was born, according to his sister, Iris.
After high school, Roger studied engineering at California Polytechnic Institute (Cal Poly),
where a classmate introduced him to a Christian group that kindled his religious faith, according
to his sister, Iris. He changed his academic direction to study literature starting at Contra Costa
Junior College to get the needed credits to enter U.C. Berkeley. His favorite poet was W.B.
Yeats and he began writing his own poetry.
During this time, he was a “beatnik,” enjoying jazz, coffee house culture and the Beat poetry
movement that emerged in the 1950s. Iris remembers visiting him when he was a student at
Berkeley in an apartment shared with a fellow student and a dog they named, “Tiz” so that when
they called him, it would be, “Here ‘Tis!.”
“He was witty and could be very serious, an important contrast,” Iris said. “It’s hard to handle
difficult situations without humor.” Roger was a political activist, taking risks by protesting at
events that led to arrests, including marching with the United Farmworkers who were fighting for
the rights of farm laborers in central California.”I believe he was an optimist, always trying to
make things better,” Iris said.
In the early 1960’s, Roger married Carol Jean Herring, and entered the Pacific School of
Religion, a progressive seminary in Berkeley, with the goal of becoming a minister in the
Christian Church. He and Carol were members of Barrett Avenue Christian Church in
Richmond, and participated in fund-raising theater presentations together, including Gilbert and
Sullivan’s “Trial by Jury,” where Carol played the part of the bride and Roger played the part of
the jury foreman.
His first parish was in Sweet Springs, Missouri where his two sons, Roderic and Matthew, were
born. Upon Roger’s arrival, his parishioners were surprised that their new minister, not yet 30,
arrived in a sporty MG Midget wearing a newsboy cap and carrying his own pool cue. They
came to embrace his intellectual and often witty sermons that offered a different perspective
than they were accustomed to. Iris explained that Roger took issue with some of the concept of
a punitive God. “Roger believed in a God of love.”
Upon learning of Roger’s death, one of Roger’s parishioners from the 1960s, June Fischer,
expressed her lifelong gratitude to him, “I loved Roger so much and respected him so much.
And he was fun! I owe him for my faith. My fundamentalist upbringing didn't make me want a
relationship with God. He made it make sense.”
After Sweet Springs, Roger attained his goal of serving as a campus minister, with a post at The
University of Toledo (Ohio). There, his activism was sparked by the Vietnam War. As part of his
ministry, he provided counseling to draftees who wanted to become conscientious objectors and
engaged in peaceful protests.
He later turned his focus to supporting other religious leaders as a consultant for Management
Design, Inc. working with faith-oriented organizations, including the Catholic church, supporting
them through transitions brought about by the Vatican II updates to church policies.
He returned to California after a dissolution of his marriage to Carol and while continuing his
consulting work, he transitioned from the Christian Church to the United Church of
Christ/Congregational. After a few years, he met the woman who would become his second
wife, the fabric artist Mary Jon Vance. He then became minister of St. John’s United Church of
Christ in the Forest Hill district of San Francisco.
It was a time of social, cultural and political change and Roger embraced the “Be the Church”
motto of United Church of Christ that emphasized the values of diversity and justice. He
conducted marriage ceremonies for gay couples before these unions were legal, he shared the
church with a Jewish congregation, and participated in activities throughout San Francisco that
promoted human rights and justice.
He became chairman of the San Francisco Interfaith Council in 1999, stating in his first
newsletter his intention to focus on shelter for the homeless, programs for disadvantaged youth,
and saving the Laguna Honda Hospital.
After retiring from St. John’s, Roger and Mary Jon moved to Mt. Vernon, WA where he found
work as the House Manager at the local Lincoln Theater, and as a mediator for the county court
system. Both of these activities fulfilled his love of service within community.
After Jonnie’s passing in 2018, Roger returned to the Bay Area of his youth where he was able
to live closer to family. Roger is survived by an extensive and loving family: his sons and
grandchildren: Matthew (Dawn) and Roderic (Lydia), and Taylor, Cullen, Riley, Dashiell, and
Angus; and his sister, Iris (David), her children, Eileen (James deceased), Marsha (Tim), Sheila
(Mirko), and Chris (Anne)