Derwent J. Riding

Derwent Jean Riding, 84, or “Derry”, as she was affectionately known, completed her circle of life surrounded by the love of her family and friends on Jan 26, 2025. Best known for her independent spirit, her wit, and her wry sense of humor, Derry was an avid traveler, a reader, a lover of fine art, and a pillar of her community in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Born in Sanford, Maine on March 5, 1940 to Joyce and Thomas Riding, Derry attended Oberlin College, in Oberlin, Ohio, graduating with a degree in Art History. She went on to complete courses in Data Analytics and served her state of Rhode Island as a city planner. Derry was avidly involved in local and state politics, and was former member and Past President of the Rhode Island League of Women Voters. She was a proponent of preserving historic and culturally significant properties and oversaw many important preservation efforts including Mount Hope Farm while on the board of the Bristol Historical Society.

Derry had a passion for fine art, literature, music and travel, instilling this love in her nieces and fellow family members. Her travels took her to China, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, Russia, the Amazon, Greece (all of Europe as a whole) and many more. Her passport had more stamps than most people’s library cards. She loved music of all kinds, and was especially fond of classical music. She was a frequent patron of the Bristol Symphony Orchestra and loved attending concerts where her niece, Katherine Riding Moller, award winning Celtic fiddler, performed.

Derry had a mind of her own and was a wonderful mix of quirky and intellectual. She had an array of colorful stories and loved to provoke heady, nervy and intellectually stimulating conversations. For those that knew and loved her, the world lost quite a sparkle with her passing, though the earthquake she brought us the day afterward was notably fitting.

Derry is survived by numerous family and friends both home and abroad. She will be fondly remembered and forever missed. A special thank you to the wonderful nurses and staff at The Lodges Care Center in Springvale who cared for Derry for the past seven years. Also, to the amazing staff of Affinity Care of Maine; Our family will forever be grateful.

In lieu of flowers, please consider reading a book and raising a glass of Pinot Grigio in her honor.