James W. “Tex” Ritter, Jr., 72, of 233 Hanes Drive, St. Marys, PA and Fort Worth, TX, passed away unexpectedly Monday, September 17, 2018, at his residence in St. Marys.
He was born November 25, 1945, in St. Marys, son of the late James W. Ritter, Sr. and Rita Sennett. Jim was a graduate of Lynnfield High School in Massachusetts and Colby College in Maine. He then entered the United States Air Force, serving in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, and later becoming a fighter pilot. After retiring as a Major in the Air Force, Jim worked as a pilot for American Airlines and as a Reserve Police Officer in Fort Worth, TX. He ended his working career as a Hood County Deputy Sheriff and Special Investigator in Grandbury, TX.
Jim spent his time between his homes in St. Marys and Fort Worth, TX. He was an avid reader and outdoorsman, enjoying hunting and farming.
On June 14, 2003, in Texas, Jim married Rita J. Griffith, who survives. He is also survived by a daughter, Amy Ritter Gibson and her husband, Dr. Michael Gibson, of Frederick, MD; a son, Dr. John D. Ritter and his wife Gina of Annapolis, MD; the mother of his children, Bonnie K. Ritter of Frederick, MD; and by three step children, Gena Bartlett of Fort Worth, TX, Wayne Jones and his wife Leigh Anne of Weatherford, TX, and Rebecca Ferris of Fort Worth, TX. Also surviving are 10 grandchildren, Virginia, Abigail, Clara, Brittany, Tripp, Cashion, Grace, Taylor, Connor, and Jordan; one great granddaughter, Evelyn Rose; and by a brother, John Stephen Ritter and his wife Lynn of Seven Lakes, NC.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in the St. Mary’s Church, St. Marys, PA, on Saturday, September 22, 2018, at 10:00 AM, with the Rev. Peter Augustine Pierjok, OSB, Pastor, officiating. Full military rites will be accorded by the St. Marys Servicemen’s Burial Detail. Burial will follow in the St. Mary’s Cemetery in St. Marys, PA.
Visitation is at the Lynch-Radkowski Funeral Home, 169 Center Street, St. Marys, PA, on Friday, September 21, 2018, from 5:00 until 7:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made online at MyDuke Cancer Fund: James W. Ritter Jr. – Duke Cancer Institute. http://dccc.convio.net/site/TR/DIY/General?px=1283541&pg=personal&fr_id=1310 (Duke Cancer Institute, 710 West Main Street, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27701)