Obituary of Howard D. Ritter

Howard D. Ritter 1915-2009 Howard D Ritter, 94, of Camas, Washington, was called to the Lord on December 20, 2009. He was born January 13, 1915, in Tolley, N.D., to George and Ida Ritter, the second of 13 children. In his early years in Tolley, he took on a lot of the responsibilities of keeping the family thriving despite the challenges of so large a family in hard times. In 1932 he graduated from Tolley high school. During the dustbowl years he worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps for $11 a month and later he, with his brothers Leonard and George, joined other brothers Jerome and John working in a sawmill in Gilchrist Oregon. In 1940 he came to Vancouver, WA eventually working at the Kaiser shipyard as journeyman electrician. After serving in the Navy during WWII, he continued his education at the College of the Ozarks, in Arkansas. Following school he returned to Vancouver, where he married Hazel Ball on Sept. 20, 1948. They moved first to Yakama, then Longview, eventually settling in Cosmopolis in 1957 where Howard worked as a chief electrician for Weyerhaeuser Pulp mill. After 24 years Howard retired as electrical foreman. He was recognized for his problem solving and management skills. In 1977 he and Hazel made their home in Camas. Hazel, his wife of 57 years, preceded him in death. He is survived by a son, Jerry Ritter of Aberdeen WA, daughter, Claudia Ritter of Camas, and three grandchildren. He is also survived by his sisters; Dianne Guindon of Washougal, and Ramona Miksch of Eugene OR and brothers Luverne Ritter of Springfield OR and Dale Ritter of Vancouver and a loving extended family. He was devoted to his family, church and helping others. His loves were baseball, golf and people. A rosary will be held at 9:00 am followed by funeral mass at 10:00 am on December 29th at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Camas. Interment will follow at the Camas Cemetery. Straub's Funeral Home & Columbia River Cremation in Camas is in charge of the arrangements. To send condolences or to sign the online guestbook visit www.straubsfuneralhome.com.