Benjamin & Margaret Loveridge

Loveridge, Benjamin and Margaret 8/12/1921 - 3/18/2017 Ft. Myers, FL Benjamin C. Loveridge was born in Detroit Michigan, first child of B. Clark Loveridge and Wynnefred (Minniss) Loveridge, and died March 2017, aged 95, due to complications associated with lymphoma. In Ben's early childhood, the family prospered until the Great Depression caused Ben's father to lose his business. They moved to the ancestral farm in Jamestown, Pennsylvania. After the sudden death of his father when Ben was 12, he started raising chickens in addition to tending the crops and cows, and the family opened a Sunday chicken dinner restaurant in their living room. Young Ben also served as the janitor at the one-room schoolhouse he attended. As a senior in college, in the midst of WWII, Ben volunteered for the Army. The Army called him for duty several weeks before graduation. The Registrar at Thiel College kindly awarded him a Bachelor's degree even though he didn't complete his final terma story he delighted in telling. Ben served as a Technical Sergeant in the 371st Fighter Group 9th Air Force. After victory in Europe, Ben completed an MBA at the University of Michigan with help from GI Bill financing. In Ann Arbor he met the love of his life, Margaret Mae Wright. After beginning what was to be a sixty-nine year marriage they settled in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where Ben worked as an insurance agent and financial planner. Ben always found time for his four sons despite the long hours associated with his work and an active life in community service. As a charter member of the Kalamazoo Kiwanis Club, he often engaged in organizing food drives for hungry families and other public service activities. He also chaired the board of the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony. Margaret was born in Oklahoma City, third child of Norman Wright and Hazel Mae (Shriner) Wright, and passed away on February 2017, aged 89, after a battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Margaret's family moved to Saginaw, Michigan when she was a teenager. She received a Regent's Alumni scholarship to attend the University of Michigan. After giving birth to four boys, she resumed her studies at Western Michigan University, where she earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees. She also completed thirty hours of post Master's degree studies. Upon graduation, she went to work as a School Psychologist for the St. Joseph (Michigan) intermediate school district, where she provided testing and placement recommendations for children who were struggling academically, or gifted. She remained with the district her entire career, crisscrossing her assigned territory to conduct assessments in good weather and bad in her determination to help preschool and elementary children achieve their full potential. A lifelong lover of music, Margaret was always active in her church choirs and played the piano. In her later years she took up hand bells in addition to her other musical pursuits. She also enjoyed playing bridge and organizing family reunions. Ben and Margaret spent many hours with their four Michigan grandchildren, and regretted the distance between them and the other four. Ben and Margaret moved to Ft. Myers, Florida to enjoy their final years. Margaret preceded Ben in death by one month. They are survived by Ben's brother John (Sylvia) Loveridge, Margaret's sister Norma (Wright) Jesse, sons B. Clark, David (Beverly Loveridge), Alan, and Scott (Ellen Dohr), as well as eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren. A joint memorial service is planned for 10:00 a.m., June 17, 2107 at the First United Methodist Church, 212 S Park St, Kalamazoo, Michigan.