Family devastated; Ridsdel remembered for ‘stunning mind’

MANILA, Philippines – The family of John Ridsdel, the Canadian tourist taken hostage by the Abu Sayyaf, said they are devastated by his death at the hands of kidnappers in the Philippines, The Canadian Press reported. 

Ridsdel’s life was “cut tragically short by this senseless act of violence despite us doing everything within our power to bring him home,” the Ridsdel family told Canada’s CBC News.

He was one of four hostages, including fellow Canadian Robert Hall, held by the Abu Sayyaf since last September. 

The kidnappers had issued a ransom deadline that lapsed Monday. His severed head was found in a plastic bag along a street in Jolo town in Sulu province, according to provincial police director Chief Supt. Junpikar Sitin.

In a statement, the family described Ridsdel as “a kind and gregarious person who touched everyone he knew with his enthusiasm and generosity. He loved life and lived it to the fullest with his family and friends.”

“He was loved by all his friends and adored by his daughters, sister and extended family. He will be sorely missed for all our days to come.”

The 68-year-old was described as semi-retired and was the former chief operating officer of mining company TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc., a subsidiary of Canada’s TVI Pacific, where he was a consultant, a company officer said. 

Don Kossick – a colleague from his time as a journalist with CBC – said he “really liked” Ridsdel.

“He was really a warm, generous person,” Kossick said.

“When I saw his name come up with that first kidnap he was a part of, I thought, ‘My God. What a situation he’s caught up in.’” 

Upon learning of the beheading of his friend, Kossick said, “My heart just crashed.”

Kossick led a letter and Facebook campaign calling on the Canadian government to help Ridsdel and Hall.

“He was just a really warm, gracious person with a really nice smile. I remember that very well. He was just really open. We were young in those days, so we talked about a lot things. John was really bright, he was on top of issues and it was really nice being around him,” he said.

“He was a great guy,” Sandy Hunter told CBC News. He was the best man at Ridsdel’s wedding, and the two were former colleagues at CBC Calgary and Petro-Canada. 

Hunter said he is grateful for the time they spent together dating back to the 1970s.

The two lost touch in recent years, Hunter said, partly because he became uncomfortable with Ridsdel’s increased work in problematic areas.

‘Stunning mind’

“He could bridge many communities, many people, many situations and circumstances and environments in a very gentle way,” said Gerald Thurston, a lifelong friend of Ridsdel.

Thurston also recalled Ridsdel’s questing, probing intelligence – put to good use during a stint as a reporter for CBC.

“Whenever he chose to apply his stunning mind to anything, you knew it was going to be very well explored – and also brought into eloquent terms that explained it in such ways that it became available to everyone,” he said.

“In terms of taking a stand on something, John was one of those people.”

Thurston remembers long, penetrating conversations with Ridsdel, who could seemingly speak with insight about anything and was concerned with social justice.

“In terms of taking a stand on something, John was one of those people,” he said.

Thurston, a retired theater professional and educator, said Ridsdel had environmentalist friends and didn’t fit any kind of “little slot” of a mining executive.

“He addressed all the concerns of the levels of the (mining) role. He also made certain that all voices that came to him were heard. That was his nature. There wasn’t any draw from the holster and blast things out until you get it correct.”

Thurston said Ridsdel was marked by the compassion and respect with which he treated those around him.

“The most important thing about John is that he applied what I like to apply: if you can listen as carefully as you speak and speak as carefully as you listen, then that changes a lot of things,” he said.