John A. Brownridge

John Ashley Brownridge "Ash"   (Age 98)  
On Friday, June 26, 2015, 32 days after his wife of 26 years, Esther, died. He is predeceased by his first wife, Katherine E. (Morris) Brownridge who died in 1979; and his daughter, Barbara Stephanie Brownridge Brewer who died in 2009. He is survived by his son, Robert Ashley Brownridge and daughter-in-law Susan of Delaware; grandsons Philip and his wife, Christine Brownridge of Medford, NJ; Daniel and his wife Jen Brownridge of Needham, MA; four great grandchildren, Tesori, Landon, Carson, and Wesley; his brother, G. William Brownridge Jr. of Jericho, NY; his son-in-law, Richard Brewer; two grandchildren Richard Brewer, Theresa Alexander; four great grandchildren, Ashley, Sean, Allison, Delaney of Chesapeake, VA. He is also survived by his two stepsons, Mark and Gerry Burghardt, and their families to whom he was a true father and grandfather. He was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1917 and his family moved to Larchmont, NY in 1923. He was too tall to be inducted into the army during WWII, so he served as a civilian British Liaison Officer in Washington, DC. Mr. Brownridge was awarded the Kings Medal For Freedom in 1945. Under his leadership, the National Wildlife Federation grew to be the largest non-profit conservation organization in the world, and one of the international leaders in the wise use of our natural resources. He started the first collection of National Wildlife Christmas cards in 1952. He created the character, Ranger Rick and wrote the first story, The Adventures of Ranger Rick, published in 1958. He started the National Wildlife Magazine in 1962, and International Wildlife Magazine in 1968. He worked with conservation organizations in Canada, Japan, and Ireland to have these magazines published and distributed in those countries. He retired in 1982 as Vice President of National Wildlife Federation. In addition to his work, Mr. Brownridge was very active with youth. He coached Catholic Youth Organization baseball, and basketball at Saint Rita's In Alexandria, VA for 10 years. He also started and ran a teen club for seventh and eighth graders at Saint Rita's. Many of the people who are now active in conservation and in environmental movements got their start reading Ranger Rick. Mr. Brownridge made a difference, and it is because of his effort, the world is now a better place. A viewing will be held at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Fairfax Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The National Wildlife Federation, www.NWF.org, in the name of John Ashley Brownridge.