Robert E. Ridenour Jr. 1966-2026

Robert E. Ridenour Jr. 1966-2026

Robert E. Ridenour Jr, 59, of Agawam, Massachusetts, passed away Wednesday, May 20th 2026 at Baystate Medical Center. Born October 14th 1966 in Springfield, MA, he was predeceased by his parents Robert E. Ridenour Sr and Elizabeth (Black) Ridenour. He leaves behind Elaine, his loving wife of 35 years, their two children Caitlin and James Ridenour, his sister Kathryn Leigh, as well as many beloved members of his extended family. Throughout most of his adult life, Rob fought through multiple health struggles, but he never let them keep him down for long and learned to adapt to every new challenge.

After graduating from Springfield Technical Community College with his degree in Mechanical Drafting and Design, he gained valuable experience working in various temporary drafting positions before finally settling into a career at Smith & Wesson in Springfield, MA.

In his younger years, he enjoyed working on cars and spending time outside, fishing, and biking with his family. He always had an immense love of music and played guitar for as long as he could. In more recent years, he began learning about hand radios and had started to participate in the WMA 575 GMRS Repeater group. Though his time with the group was limited, it brought him a lot of joy and a sense of connection. Throughout all of this, his favorite thing to do was to spend time with his family - whether that be while watching hockey, intentionally over-engineering solutions to simple and mundane problems for a laugh, or simply enjoying quiet time with them. Rob always knew how to make his family laugh and his quick wit and light-hearted sense of humor remained until his passing, despite his struggles.

No amount of time will ever feel like enough to those who are left living, but Rob’s family will always be thankful for every minute that we got to spend with him. We will miss him dearly and will strive to carry on his courageous spirit and keep him close to our hearts.

The family would like to extend their deep gratitude to all of the incredible staff, nurses, and doctors at Fresenius Medical Care in both East Springfield and West Springfield and on Wesson 3 at Baystate. A private service will be held at a later date at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Rob’s name to the American Kidney Fund (KidneyFund.org).