Lieutenant Randall L. Rideout of the Medford Fire Dept. passed away suddenly on December 29th at the age of 54. He was the beloved husband of Marie (Petrucci) Rideout and together they shared 31 years of marriage. Born in Stoneham and raised in Medford, he was the son of Reid L Rideout and Ivamarie of Tewksbury and the late Grace Ann (Dalrymple).
Randy was first appointed to the Medford Fire Dept in January of 1984. Following several years of dedicated service to the city of Medford he earned and attained the rank of Lieutenant in December of 1991. Randy was not only dedicated firefighter but was also passionate about carpentry and was a very talented and gifted finish carpenter. Randy and his wife Marie moved to Wilmington more than twenty years ago where they started their family and have been residents ever since. Family was everything to Randy and nothing gave him more joy than being a big supporter and number one fan of his children in all their many accomplishments in school and in sports. For several years Randy coached his children in both Wilmington Youth Soccer and Hockey. He was so proud of his children and was always there to cheer them on and encourage them in all that they were involved with.
Randy loved people; He enjoyed joking around with family and friends and loved to have a goodtime. He was loyal and devoted friend, always ready and willing to lend a hand and help out when he was needed. He was affectionately known as "Ralph" to his closest circle of friends and cherished those friendships, being together on the golf course, traveling and spending time with his family and friends at Papa's Beach in Plymouth where the family summered together, making many wonderful memories that will forever be cherished.
In addition to his beloved wife and father, Randy is survived by his children, Michael Rideout and Jaclyn Rideout both of Wilmington. He was the brother of Lynda Rideout of Chelmsford, Pamela Churchill of Lowell, Heather Hodgkins of Kingston, NH and Stepbrother of Ryan Churchill of Wilmington. He is also survived by his in-laws Linda and Ron Campisi, Gail and Dave Walton, Judy and Bob Mulligan and many loving nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be from the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main St., MEDFORD, Wednesday, January 4th, at 9 a.m. followed by a funeral mass celebrated in St. Raphael Church, 512 High St., Medford, at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday from 4 thru 8. Services will conclude at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford. It has been requested that in lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Randy’s memory to the Wounded Warrior Project, Attn: Donor Services, 4899 Belfort Rd., Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256.