Jeff Baldridge

Jeff Baldridge, 57, formerly of Findlay, passed away on Sept. 12 in Mesa, Arizona.
He is survived by his mother, Doris Tucker Baldridge and his two sisters, Regina Baldridge and Rhonda (Tim) Wood, their two children Jaime (Missy) Wood and Rochell Acosta and grandchildren, Aidan, Scarlett, Breanna, Carissa and Danelle.
Predeceasing him in death are his father, Charles Baldridge, and his brother, Steve Baldridge.
He was born a wonderful 10 pound baby and was just a happy person who had many friends he loved and adored throughout his school years. He married Julia Chesteen in 1992 and they were later divorced. He worked for a time in realty then joined the Navy in San Diego for about six months when he was discharged with knee injuries. Upon his return to Findlay he had hip replacement of both hips, which I thought was just the end of the world for him, but he took it like a trooper and in no time was raring to go. So he headed out west again to Arizona where his sister Regina lived. There he worked at Rogers where he was sent to China to train personnel. We teased him that he was training his replacement – and sure enough, he was. Shortly after, he began working as the director of print engineering for Nth Degree Technologies – which he loved and did much to improve and grow that company. They often sent him to Connecticut to troubleshoot and he would sometimes take a train over to New York City, which he came to love – it was just his kind of town. In Ohio he was a die-hard fan of the Buckeyes and Browns, but he soon came to appreciate the Diamondbacks and Cardinals in Arizona. He also loved music and went to many concerts in Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, Michigan, Ohio and New York City. We did many things together but the last one we did – he had two tickets to the Palm Springs International Film Festival and asked his mother to be his date. We got all dressed up, him in his tux and me in a long dress, and walked the red carpet like we belonged there. It was a weekend to remember.
Jeff always ended his messages with LOL. I always thought that meant lots of love and found out it means laugh out loud. But I’ll stick with my version and just say LOL, Jeff.
A celebration of life service will be held for Jeff at the Coldren-Crates Funeral Home, Findlay, on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 3 pm. The family will receive visitors from 2 p.m. until the time of service at the funeral home.                                                                                                         In lieu of flowers, donate to the Veterans Tickets Foundation (VetTix) or plant a tree. Online condolences may be expressed at www.coldrencrates.com.