Obituary: Wayne Edward Ridout

“Those who love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near; still loved, still missed and very dear!”

Wayne Edward Ridout, founder of Ridout Lumber Companies, passed away February 19, 2024, at his home in Searcy. He was born November 18, 1943, in Prairie County, Ark., to Homer Lindley Ridout and Melba Pearl (Hogue) Ridout.

He was preceded in death by his father, Homer Lindley Ridout; his mother, Melba Pearl Hogue Ridout Murray; grandson, Crews Allen Smith; his paternal grandparents, Homer W. Ridout and Alma Dell (Uland) Ridout of the Northside Community, Prairie County, Ark.; and his maternal grandparents, Jake Hogue of Dewitt and Pearl Hogue Green of Wichita, Kansas.

Wayne married Robbye Norman on August 18, 1963. They celebrated their sixtieth anniversary in 2023.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Robbye Lea Norman Ridout; and his children, Kristen (Kirk) Smith and Ross Norman (Betsy) Ridout of Searcy, and Kari (Mark) Rockwell of Fayetteville; and 10 grandchildren, Ezekiel (Bitsy) Ridout, Rivers Ridout, Blakely Adams, Colton (Morgan) Smith, Rees Ridout, Barrett Adams, Brooke Rockwell, Rooke Ridout, Carlyn Smith, Ben Rockwell; and two great-granddaughters, Sloane and Rowan Ridout. He is also survived by a special daughter, Jennifer Burnes. Also surviving are one sister, Joann Ridout of Little Rock; one niece, Cynthia Moore Carpenter; and one nephew, Marvin J. (Cindy) Moore, Jr.; and brother-in-law, James Norman and wife, Cecily, of the Villages, Fla., and their three children; as well as numerous other family and friends. The family is thankful for and endlessly grateful to Kelly Hinkle, Deann Piker, and Sarah Money, as well as the nurses and aides with Hospice Home Care who provided faithful and loving care for him in his last days. Wayne graduated from Des Arc High School in 1962, where he participated in all sports for which he was widely recognized on the Eagle teams. He was all-conference several years and all-state in football his senior year.

Wayne worked in his teen years on the County Bridge Crew and for Clyde Voiles’ sawmill. He was no stranger to hard work. He also worked in his family’s restaurant and bait shop, the “Sportsman’s One Stop” in Des Arc. He received the BSBA degree from Henderson State University in 1966, and worked briefly as an insurance adjuster for Farm Bureau before going into business with his father, Homer. He was owner and co-founder in Searcy in 1971, with his father, of Ridout Lumber Company of Searcy. This business grew and expanded to have 15 locations with locations that continue today in Searcy, Cabot, Conway, Batesville, Russellville, Benton, Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Rogers, and also Joplin, Mo. He established Arkansas Wholesale Lumber Company; Ridout Door Manufacturing Company; and Ridout Truck Line. He and his son, Ross Ridout, expanded the business to include a commercial division of Arkansas Wholesale Lumber and grew Ridout into one of the largest independent lumber chains in the U.S.

He was an enthusiastic businessman who never resented hard work and thrived on it, but he could always be found at his children’s games or events and he probably cheered more loudly than anyone else. He particularly enjoyed the later years when he had an opportunity to work with his children who were all also involved in the business and seeing many of his 10 grandchildren participate in athletics and seeing every one of them excel in academics and sports! The legacy lives on in a huge way!

In 2017, the Ridout family sold the business, but Ross Ridout continues to be involved in the business and many loyal employees keep Ridout what it has always been. He considers them his family as well and many still work there. Wayne and Ross have always enjoyed their lively talks about sports and business and those have continued throughout his lifetime. There came a time when he also looked so forward to the grands coming for lively conversation as he caught up on their interesting lives and pursuits living vicariously through them. What joy and blessings!

Mr. Ridout was a dedicated family man, good friend, sportsman and businessman. He participated in and excelled at all sports, enjoying duck hunting, pheasant hunting, fishing, golf, and jogging. He loved to win! He also enjoyed nothing more than watching his children and grandchildren in spelling bees, athletic activities or participating in hunting activities with them. They all inherited his competitive gene to be the best at whatever you do whether hunting, fishing, participating in football, soccer, basketball, tennis, track, volleyball, spelling bees, or top scorer on the act. He was quite the enthusiastic fan at their games and delighted in their feats.

His reputation with a shotgun and a duck caller were widely known and his duck hunting trips to Lost Bend and other lodges with his friends were tops on his list. He also enjoyed golfing with his friends and traveling with his wife. The annual golfing trips to Scottsdale, fishing and hunting trips to south Texas and the Dakotas, and poker games with his buddies, were always a highlight. His trips to Alaska were among his frontiersman adventures. All his friends and neighbors would often see him on his regular runs through the neighborhood, which he continued to do even in his aging years. He had quite a reputation for staying fit. Though he struggled with health issues after his diagnosis in 2016 with Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson’s, he remained a very determined man who was so loved and admired by his family and friends.

Over the years he served in the following capacities: Member of Searcy First Methodist Church; Board of Directors, First Security Bank in Searcy; American Heritage Advisory Board, Harding University; Board Member, International Lecture Series, Harding University; Board of Directors, Central Arkansas Hospital; Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors; Member of “100 for the Future” Committee, Searcy; Henderson State University Alumni Board; Finance Committee Chairman, Searcy FUMC; and Select Business Speaker, Young Professionals Network.

Mr. Ridout worked with his family to build The Ridout Home for Girls at Soaring Wings Ranch. This home provides Christian parents and a Christian home environment for eight girls. He and his wife were Cornerstone Supporters for the cancer center of excellence funded by the White County Medical Center Foundation and CARTI. The “Ridout Family Garden of Hope” was endowed by the Ridouts to help encourage the healing of patients in the chemotherapy room at CARTI. Among their philanthropic endeavors were: UAMS, where the family endowed an MRI suite in the breast center; Mayo Clinic where they promoted research on Lewy Body Dementia; MD Anderson Cancer Center for research on Clear Cell Carcinoma; and Arkansas Childrens Hospital are other institutions and causes the Ridout family have supported over the years.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Center at UAMS, Arkansas Childrens Hospital, or Soaring Wings Ranch, The Ridout Home for Girls, P.O. Box 1670, Conway, Ark. 72033. Service will be held at Searcy First Methodist Church on Tuesday, February 27, at 2 p.m., preceded by a visitation at the church at 12:30 p.m. There will be a special section in the sanctuary for all Ridout employees who attend. There will be a private graveside gathering following the service to include family and close friends at White County Memorial Gardens.

Arrangements are entrusted to Powell Funeral Home of Searcy. www.powellfuneralhome.net

Source: Powell Funeral Home & Cremation Services