Edwin Ritter

RITTER, Edwin
Marcellus

Edwin Ritter passed away peacefully in his home on Thursday, July 23. He was born January 21, 1929, in Marcellus Mich., the son of Howard Ritter and Ruth (Rupert) Ritter. He graduated from Marcellus High School in 1947 and worked at the Upjohn Company for 37 years, receiving the W.E. Upjohn Award for outstanding service and retiring as the department head of carpentry and painting in 1987.

He had many interests in life. He enjoyed fishing and reading, and attending steam shows to view the large engines that reminded him of his youth. He belonged to the First United Methodist Church in Portage. He was an expert craftsman, and built everything from tables and chairs to the home he lived in for more than 60 years. Inside his house, Edwin hung a plaque that read, "If It's Made of Wood, It's Got to Be Good."

He also loved to travel, always with Alois, his loving wife of 64 years, by his side. In one of their first adventures, they toured their ancestral homeland: Germany. Together they went on to visit numerous parts of the world, including Morocco, Spain, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and four winters in Costa Rica. One of their favorite places was Texas' Rio Grande Valley and its Mexican border towns.

After reading a feature in National Geographic, Edwin was inspired to visit Angel Falls in Venezuela, the world's largest waterfall. Soon, he and his wife visited the country and made a three-day journey by dugout canoe - the trip of a lifetime - and it became one of his treasured memories.

He was generous, spiritual and humble. He was a longtime member of First United Methodist (Pathfinder) Church in Portage and donated to many charities, including an orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico. He was also very giving of his time - he commonly assisted friends and family with household carpentry projects.

He was also curious about his own ancestral roots. He spent more than 30 years tracing the origins of his family and completed a book with more than 100 pages of photos and information about the Ritter family, going all the way back to 1765.

He is survived by two children, Keith (Linda) Ritter of Schoolcraft and Elaine Shirk of Portage; four grandchildren, Jeff (Fernanda) Ritter of New York, N.Y., Bradley (Kimberly) Ritter of Kalamazoo, Michael Shirk of Texas Twp., and Nicholas Shirk of Indianapolis; and one great-grandson, Graham Ritter, and one great-grand-daughter, Eliza Ritter. He was preceded in death by his wife, Alois, and his brothers Harold and Sidney, and sisters Evelyn and Irma.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29, at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Portage Chapel, 411 E. Centre Avenue. Pastor Ron Hansen will officiate. A private interment will be held at a later date. Friends may visit with the family from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan or a charity of the donor's choice.