Mr. Ritter, a retired insurance broker and property developer, died May 12 at Stanford University Medical Center after a long illness.
Born in Tracy on Aug. 16, 1934, he was the son of Carlton E. and Margaret H. Ritter. He graduated from Tracy High in 1953.
Mr. Ritter farmed in the Vernalis area before serving in the U.S. Army in Korea. On returning home, he attended Modesto Junior College.
He joined his father in the family-owned Ritter Insurance Agency and was active in the business until semi-retiring in 1996. He continued to assist his son, Paul Ritter, the third-generation operator of the firm.
Mr. Ritter and his wife, Norma, constructed Carlton Plaza, the colonial-style office complex at the corner of Tracy Boulevard and Kavanagh Avenue. The building holds the Ritter agency and other tenants.
Mr. Ritter was one of the founders of weekday morning coffee sessions at Perko’s Café, where the unlucky coin-flipper would pay for all the coffee. He was also a regular visitor at the Beckman Investments office in the Tracy Inn lobby to visit Vern Fleck and John Rickman. He enjoyed playing golf at the Mace Meadows golf course near Pioneer, where the family had a vacation home.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Norma Ritter of Tracy; a son, Paul Ritter, and his wife, Kathleen, of Tracy; a brother, Norman Ritter, and his wife, Patsy, of Kennebunk, Maine; and two grandchildren.
Preceding him death were a daughter, Kimberly Ritter; a sister, Joy Freschi; and a brother, Paul Ritter.
The family prefers memorial contributions in Mr. Ritter’s name to the Tracy Animal Shelter, 1000 Civic Center Drive, Tracy, CA 95376; or to the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society, 1311 Mamaroneck Ave., Ste. 310, White Plains, NY 10605.