Ernie was born September 26, 1929, to Charles and Cora Stidham and departed this life on July 17, 2024. Ernie was born in the small town of Scioto Furnace, Ohio, near the Ohio River. He was the 16th child out of a total of 17. He was preceded in death by his mother, father, and 16 siblings.

Sometime in the mid 1940's, the family relocated to a farm in central Ohio, east of Columbus, where Ernie attended and graduated from Hebron High School in 1947. Shortly after graduating, Ernie turned 18 and joined the U.S. Navy in April of 1948. He served four years and was stationed in Hawaii, Guam, and eventually Korea aboard the USS Bolster. Ernie was a Korean War Veteran.

He married the love of his life, Shirley Good of Newark, on August 15th, 1953, in Union County Indiana. They had two children, Paul Ernest (Ernie) and Steven Martin (Steve). Ernie and Shirley were married for 67 years and Shirley preceded him in death in 2020. He is survived by sons, Ernie Stidham and wife Jane, and Steve Stidham and wife Laura. He is also survived by grandchildren, Samantha Kent and husband Jeremy, Marlena Austin and husband Chad, Nicholas Stidham and wife Brittany, and Brice Stidham, along with great-grandchildren, Marydith Stidham, Braden Austin, Braxton Austin, Wyatt Stidham, and Weston Stidham, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Ernie was a dedicated father and devout Christian. He was a lifelong member of the Calvary Christian Union Church in Thornport, Ohio and even helped in the building of the church. Ernie handmade all of the leaded glass light fixtures in the main sanctuary. He was an Elder in the church and also led Sunday School sometimes, as well as served as the Youth Group Leader. In 2009, Ernie & Shirley became members of the Lighthouse Memorial Church in Millersport, Ohio until they relocated to Texas in 2020.

In July, 1968 Ernie along with three others founded the Calvaliers Quartet, a gospel singing group for 43 years. Ernie loved traveling around the Ohio area and surrounding states, singing with the Calvaliers. Ernie was also an avid fan of Bluegrass music and often attended a Bluegrass jam session every Wednesday at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. He was also known for his musical skills playing the harmonica.

Ernie retired from the Newark Air Force Base after a lengthy career where he worked on the Minuteman Missile program. Throughout the years Ernie worked part-time at the Plaza hardware, where he loved to keep busy helping people. After enjoying his government retirement for several years, he went back to work for Boeing eventually retiring again after several years. He then spent much of his idle time building bird houses and watching his favorite TV shows: Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, Andy Griffith, and FOX News.

Ernie will be missed by family, friends and all who knew him. Visitation will be at Brucker & Kishler Funeral home Thursday August 1, 2024, from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Funeral service will be held on Friday August 2, 2024, at Lighthouse Memorial Church, Millersport, Ohio at 11:00 AM, followed by a brief graveside service and burial at Newark Memorial Gardens, in the Garden of Devotion next to his dear wife Shirley.