Loretta Ritchie

TRAVERSE CITY — Loretta J. Ritchie, 85, of Traverse City, passed away Wednesday, June 29, 2011, at Munson Medical Center. Loretta was born April 4, 1926, to Joseph and Emilia (Petri) Yoerg in Detroit. She married James Ritchie on Sept. 12, 1953, also in Detroit.Loretta will be remembered as a faithful wife, selfless, a loving mother and devoted grandmother. She loved spending her time with her children and grandchildren sharing in their activities. Her fun-loving spirit and daily antics kept us entertained and will be missed by all. Loretta was a secretary at Warren Schools for over 25 years. She lived in Royal Oak and was a loyal parishioner at National Shrine of the Little Flower; she moved to Traverse City in October of 2000, where she attended St. Francis of Assisi. She was active in the Red Hat Society, a member of TOPS and regularly attended the Bible Study at the Senior Center. For the past 45 years, she was an avid hockey fan, rooting on all from her son to her grandchildren.Surviving Loretta are her children, Sandra (Nigel) Lidiard, of Traverse City, James (Pamela) Ritchie, of Mason, and Nancy (Daryl) Keyser, of Traverse City; grandchildren, Elizabeth and Sarah Lidiard, Jennifer Ritchie, James, Hannah, Grace and Caleb Keyser; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.Loretta was preceded in death by her parents; husband of 42 years, James; and brother, Joseph Yoerg.Visitation will be held today, July 1, from 4 to 7 p.m., with a scripture service held at 6:30 p.m., at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home in Traverse City. Mass will take place at the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak on Saturday, July 2, at noon, with a visitation held from 11:30 a.m. until noon. Burial will take place at White Chapel Memorial Park.In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Traverse City Christian School to continue to support Christian education, which was dear to her heart.Please sign Loretta's online guestbook at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com.The family is being served by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home in Traverse City and the Desmond Funeral Home in Troy.