Robert Whitfield "Bob" Riddick

Robert Whitfield "Bob" Riddick, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend died Wednesday, January 19, 2005 at Southampton Memorial Hospital. A son of the late Dr. John D. Riddick and Rebie Whitfield Riddick, Bob was born in Danville and spent his youth in Roanoke. He attended Blackstone College where his father served as president, and graduated from Randolph-Macon College. Bob was a beloved teacher in Sandston, Franklin, Isle of Wight County and Southampton Academy. He coached little league football and was a friend to many young athletes in the Franklin/Southampton area. In 1973, the Riddick family, Bob and Judy and Bill and Gaynelle, founded The Peanut Patch in Courtland, and he retired from teaching to become a full time entrepreneur. He remained as chairman of the board until his death. Bob was a member of High Street United Methodist Church in Franklin. An avid reader and patron of the arts, he spent countless hours in the Walter Cecil Rawls Library. Because of these keen interests, he has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations to the Walter Cecil Rawls Library or the Rawls Museum Arts be made in his memory. Bob is survived by his wife, Judy Swecker Riddick; two daughters, Jane Riddick Fries and her husband, Ted, and Alice Riddick Shaffer and her husband, Paul; two grandchildren, Noah Robert Shaffer and Erika Susan Shaffer; his twin brother, William H. Riddick II and his wife, Gaynelle; two nephews, William H. Riddick III and Thomas D. Riddick; an uncle, E. Newton Whitfield; and a beloved cousin, Benjamin A. Williams. He was predeceased by an older brother, John D. Riddick Jr. A funeral service will be held Friday, January 21, at 11 a.m. at Wright Funeral Home, Franklin, by his minister and friend, the Reverend Linda Alvis, and his former minister and friend, the Reverend Edward C. Johnson. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery in Courtland. A reception will be held at the Rawls Museum on Linden Street in Courtland immediately following the committal. Visitation at Wright Funeral Home will be held on Thursday evening from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and at other times at the residence, 31085 Cardinal Avenue, Franklin. Memorial donations may be sent to the Robert W. Riddick Memorial at the Rawls Library, 22511 Main Street, Courtland, Va. 23837; or to Rawls Museum Arts, 22376 Linden Street, Courtland, Va. 23837.