John Baldridge

On May 24, 2011, John Leslie Baldridge of Greenville, Hunt County, Texas died peacefully at Hunt Regional Medical Center after many years of ill health. Family and friends surrounded him in his last hours. John was born at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C. on October 6, 1942 to Clifton, TX native Robert Lee Baldridge, Jr. and Whitney, TX native Katherine Yarbro Baldridge. He and his parents moved to Clifton after the sudden death of his grandfather, Robert L. Baldridge, Sr. in January 1946. His grandfather was the owner and publisher of The Clifton Record from 1901 until his death, and Johns father, his aunt, Dorothy Baldridge Kincheloe, and his grandmother, Nora Payne Baldridge, continued to own and publish The Clifton Record until 1965. John was educated in the Clifton Independent School District, and attended the Clifton Church of Christ. At age 17 he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged as a Lance Corporal in December 1967. A natural salesman, his career in sales led him to live in multiple Texas towns, including Clifton, the Dallas area, Waco, Austin, and finally in Greenville. John was proud of his Texas heritage, and it was reflected in his passion for history, genealogy, music, sports, movies, hunting, and western art, particularly art from Bosque County. An only child, John was outgoing with a strong sense of humor. He built strong relationships with his Clifton friends and family, and with friends in each town in which he lived. While he never married, he was a beloved Uncle to many children and grandchildren of his closest friends. As Johns health declined, his computer became his Command Central in communicating with family and his close circle of friends, plus keeping current on world, state, and local news. Predeceasing John were his parents, Katherine Yarbro Baldridge, and Robert Lee Baldridge, Jr.; his paternal grandparents, Nora Payne and Robert Lee Baldridge; his aunt, Dorothy Baldridge Kincheloe, and uncle, Clement Kincheloe; his maternal grandparents Vida and James Leslie Yarbro; his aunt, Melba Yarbro Noble; and his uncle, William Estelle Yarbro. Surviving John are his first cousin, Kay Kincheloe Warren, and her husband, Phil, and cousins Jennifer Susan Wood, Philip Kincheloe Warren, and John Kyle Warren. He also leaves devoted friends, including Darlene Shafer and family of Whitney; Lucie and Billy Weaver of Duncanville; Steve Vardell of Dallas, who served with John in the Marine Corps; and Lecia and Joseph Fisher of Florida. Family and friends will celebrate Johns life in a memorial service on Saturday, July 9, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. at the Church of Christ, 203 South Avenue G, Clifton, TX followed by an internment of his ashes with his parents at the Clifton Memorial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of your choice.