John Gearhart Wooldridge, 82, passed away at his home with family at his bedside on October 17, 2019. John was born January 2, 1937 in Dover, Minnesota to Carroll and Bonita (Kruempel) Wooldridge. His father, Carroll passed away, August of 1937, when he was 7 months old. His mother later married Glen Ryan and he has 1 step-brother, Dennis Ryan of Iowa; 4 sisters, Patty May of Austin, Hollie (Bob) Ciecmierowski of Wyoming, Renea (Alex) Hansen of Austin, and Kathy (Trevor) Todd of Oregon.
He married Dorothy Leidall, January 9, 1960, in Lyle, Minnesota. He was drafted into the Army in 1960 and spent two years in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Then they moved to Minneapolis. They had one daughter, Carrie, and one son, Cory. In 1966 they moved to Rochester and he worked at IBM with until retirement. He was very active in sports, bowling, racket ball, pool, shot trap, and softball. He loved fishing and hunting. Bow hunting was his favorite. He loved spending time at the cabin in Wabasha. After retirement he spent most of his time at our farm in Kellogg. His favorite saying was, “I am going up on the hill.” He had an orchard with many fruit trees he planted. He would spend hours mowing and taking care of his fruit trees which he was very proud.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; son, Cory Wooldridge of Farmington, Minnesota; two granddaughters, Katie of Rochester, and Marissa of Arizona; and great-grandson, Grayson of Arizona.
He is preceded in death by his father, Carroll; step-father, Glen; mother, Bonita; and daughter, Carrie.
He will be missed by his family, trips to the cabin, boat rides, ATV rides, Bad Boy Buggy, target practicing, picking apples, and hunting up on the hill.
There will be a private service with family and later Celebration of Life with friends and family.
