John E. Bridenbaugh's Obituary
John Ellsworth Bridenbaugh was born in Berea, Ohio on January 20, 1936, to Arthur John and Iva Marie Bridenbaugh. John is survived by his wife of almost 67 years, Suzanne (Sue), his 3 children Cheryl (Steve), Deb (Rob), and Eric (Jen), and his 11 grandchildren: Amy, Christa, Andrew, Sean, Aaron, Rachel, Melissa, Abby, Daniel, Josh and Jared. He is also survived by his 1 niece and 3 nephews. John was
preceded in death by his brother Larry Bridenbaugh (Ellie).
John spent his childhood in Cleveland Ohio and at age 10 he moved to Bay Village, OH where he lived in the home his father had built. Much of his childhood was spent boating, fishing and waterskiing on Lake Erie with his father and brother Larry. Spending many summer vacations on his relatives' farms helped instill in him a love of animals and the outdoors. This love of animals led him to attend college at The
Ohio State University, where he graduated from Veterinary School in 1960. He also served in the Naval Reserves for 8 years as a Medical Corpsman. In 1956, while still in college, he met his wife Sue on a blind date, and they married in 1958.
After practicing Veterinary Medicine in Ohio for 8 years, John and Sue moved to Bergen County, NJ. After 12 years they moved to rural Sussex County, NJ, where they opened their own Veterinary practice. John and Sue spent the next 38 years of their life enjoying the beauty of this area while serving the community of Sussex County at the Fredon Animal Clinic. In addition to running his own clinic, John became a wildlife rehabilitator and volunteered with a Raptor Center and a local zoo caring for injured and abandoned wild animals. Along with Sue and his children, they raised and cared for many deer, raccoons, and other critters until releasing them into the wild. John also volunteered with the NJ Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife Black Bear Project for many years as their volunteer veterinarian. He loved to speak about his experience with Black Bears whether it was casually with family, as a guest in his grandchildren’s classroom, or friends at Crestwood Village.
In addition to animals and wildlife, John's passions included riding his motorcycle, flying single engine planes, wildlife photography, fishing, boating, camping and square dancing. After their retirement, John and Sue enjoyed traveling and visiting many state and national parks in their camper. Some highlights for them were bringing their 11 grandchildren on special camping trips and taking them tubing behind their bay boat. During annual family vacations, John passed along his love of wildlife and God's creation to his children and grandchildren.
The last 8 years of John's life were spent living in Frederick, Md in a home at Crestwood Village where he was seen daily riding his recumbent bicycle with his dog Mo trotting along beside him. He enjoyed many activities with his friends at Crestwood Village. Most of all John was blessed by being a part of a wonderful church family he found at New Hope Presbyterian Church.
John will always be remembered for his love of family, his enjoyment of God's creation, animals and wildlife (particularly bears!), his great patriotism for the country he loved and served, his wonderful sense of humor and storytelling, and finally for his love and trust in Jesus as his Savior. John's final days were spent in Hospice care, surrounded by his beloved wife, children and grandchildren, confident he would soon be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
A memorial service in honor of John’s life is planned at New Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 5305 Jefferson Pike Unit A, Frederick, MD on Saturday April 12, 2025 @ 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Tunnel to Towers
https://t2t.org/donate/ or Wounded Warrior Project https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/ in John’s name.
What’s your fondest memory of John?
What’s a lesson you learned from John?
Share a story where John's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with John you’ll never forget.
How did John make you smile?