Wendell Wade Ritchey
February 14, 1940 - August 30, 2020

"For some strange reason tonight, I decided to google Wendell and Sherry and was stunned to learn that Wendell had passed away. They were wonderful neighbors in Ohio.....good friends.....when I was in nursing school Wendell helped me with a pre-requisite for algebra because I did not study that in high school. Everything made sense when he explained it. We visited them in Tuscan and Camarillo California. We share deeply in their grief as we lost our son Steve on August 3, 2020. To Sherry, Robin and Stacey and their families, we extend our deepest sympathy. Charlene and Neil"

"We were so sorry to hear of Wendell\'s passing. We enjoyed his friendship here in Maricopa. We will keep the family in our prayers."

"Wendell was my dad\'s best friend in high school and was my mom\'s cousin. My parent\'s met at his birthday party when my mom was 14 and my dad was 16. So in God\'s plan for this world Wendell was the the connection that brought me in to existence. We spent a good bit of time at the house on the hill in Lexington where mom and dad would play pinochle and Sherry would cook something wonderful. I always loved Wendells deep belly laugh and gentle happy demeanor. The Ritcheys were a very important part of my youth. "

"As I sit to finally transfer my thoughts and emotions into written words, everything that I had planned to say seems to fall short. How do I write what this wonderful man meant to me? How do I say how he made me feel when he accepted me?open arms?into his family? How do I say differently what?s already been said by so many? The only words left for me to say are, quite simply, Thank You. Thank you Wendell for loving the Lord. Thank you for instilling that same love into your children, who then poured into my husband-Jacob. Thank you for opening your arms wide to me and loving me and Keirsten without hesitation. Thank you for being the grandpa I never had. Thank you for loving my children whole heartedly. Thank you for displaying Christ?s love. Thank you for the memories, the smiles, the wisdom, the laughs. Keep a spot warm for me in the throne room. I?ll see you soon. "

" Any holiday or time I?d get to visit grandpa I could not wait! We had some amazing memories playing sports/games, racing, and working on projects. He has always supported me in my athletic career and I could not be more thankful for the opportunity to move out west because he made it to many of my games and always took time to dive into deep conversations that helped shape me into a better teammate and leader. I am also incredibly thankful that the Lord blessed me with a job in AZ this last year. It allowed me to have several great conversations with Grandpa. He always made sure I knew he was proud of me and would always bring wisdom and guidance as our conversations often humbled me and helped transform me into a better daughter, sister, and friend. Grandpa has always been a very influential man in my life. From my earliest memories, grandpa pursued the most valuable things in life with all his heart: God, his wife, his family, and his work. He worked hard in everything and never cut corners....ever!! Where I often see how quickly I can finish the task or win the game...time was never a factor, he patiently worked and did it the right and honorable way. He unconditionally loved his wife, leading her in the ways of Christ Jesus, respecting her, providing for her and serving her. This was beautiful to witness as he has greatly influenced my perspective and standard of the kind of man I hope to marry one day. He was a prayer warrior! He began and ended his days in prayer. He battled for those he loved in prayer and the Lord blessed him and answered his prayers. He pursued the heart of his Father and Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord gave him an incredible gift to understand and teach the Word of God. He lived in reverence to God and because of his love and pursuit of God, his daughters, grand children and even great grandchildren are leading lives under the authority of God, deepening our relationship with Him each and every day. This is the greatest legacy a man can leave. He lived as a citizen of heaven on earth with an eternal perspective and heart to love and pursue God?s calling and generations are following in his footsteps and we will celebrate with him again one day! Though I am sad he is no longer present on earth, it fills my heart with joy knowing he is standing face to face with Jesus! Praise the Lord! Can?t wait to see you again GPA! "

"A Poem About My Great Grandpa by Keirsten Crawford I loved my grandpa. Oh, how can I say I LOVED my grandpa in more than one way One, Grandpa would treat me like a ZILLON bucks! Two, HE loved me no matter what! Three, HE LOVED THE LORD!!! Even though he\'s gone, I\'ll remember him on & on! And even though he\'s here no more, I know he\'s safe with the Lord God, and I\'ll remember him forever more!!!!!"

"It\'s hard to summarize in a few words something about someone you\'ve loved and looked up to for your entire life. For me Grandpa was \"My Grandpa\" and no other grandpa was like him, none as full of life, none as cool, none as wise, and none as loving as mine. One of my favorite memories was seeing his gigantic town car pull into the driveway or airport terminal because he\'d step out with a big smile, call me grandson, and give me a big grandpa hug and it was always full of love and the beginning of what I knew would be one of the best weeks. I\'ll miss those moments. I am so thankful that Grandpa was able to impact nearly the first 30 years of my life. He undoubtedly helped form me into the man that I am today in his words, prayers, and actions. He always gave me wise advice and spoke the truth in love. I know his prayers were over me and getting heaven\'s attention on me. Then of course I watched my grandpa do so many small but profound things. I watched him take hold of his faith and build it into his marriage, family, and community with what he knew to be true. I watched him love and lead my grandma in a way that blesses my own marriage. I watched him interact with my parents in a way that I hope to interact with my own children someday as a dad/grandpa to my own kids by taking an interest in what they did and loved. Then of course I was able to enjoy him as my grandpa and built countless memories together. As a kid, I remember the anticipation and loving that grandma and grandpa were coming to visit. Many times for Christmas where we were spoiled with their gifts and would spend the nights playing games. I remember that when we were just a little older we would spend a week with them in North Carolina while mom & dad would go on mission trips and they\'d take us to do anything we wanted to do. I always loved the go-karts and remember Grandpa always being excited to see us going around the track and I\'ll never forget the gigantic smile and laughter the one time when he was in his own go-kart with us on the track. I remember my freshman year of high school when Grandma and Grandpa came into town and played host to my birthday party. Then I loved the last several years when we would get to visit them in Arizona because we always made great memories visiting different places or just playing games and enjoying time together. I\'ve been extremely grateful for the last few years because I got to do something that not everyone gets to do in their life, I got to share my grandpa. I got to share him with my wife, Anna, which is probably one of the most touching things I\'ve ever experienced. The way I saw grandpa embrace and love Anna was beautiful. I\'m pretty sure that between me and my wife she became his favorite and that blessed me so deeply because there is nothing better than getting to share one of your favorite things and for me, that was my grandpa (and grandma). The way that he embraced her into his life and would give her this special smile that was full of love gives me joy and ultimately was one of the many ways that I saw Jesus shine through my grandpa. On top of all of this, I got to share my grandpa with my kids and let them experience the best great-grandpa a kid could as for as he loved each of them. I\'ll never forget the way that he interacted with each one of them from Keirsten and meeting her for the first time at Lake Tahoe, to the giggles that he and Daniel would share together, how he would play ball with Zeke, and lastly that he got to partake in Sameul\'s first Christmas. Grandpa gave me more than just memories he also spoke wisdom into my life and gave me perspectives on life. Because of Grandpa, I will always choose a Lincoln over Cadillac. I\'d say that Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson are my favorite racers in NASCAR because those were his favorites. Even though I\'m not as academic as he was I\'ll always have an appreciation for the world of engineering and the stock market and maybe even dabble in it one day. I\'ll always love and think of him around a go-kart track. Above all, Grandpa impacted my faith and has left a legacy that I want to continue with my family. There is nothing that will replace the impact that my own father has and will have in my life, but grandpa has been a pillar that showed me what it meant to be a man, a husband, a son of God, and ultimately a brother. Grandpa gave me so many memories that a tribute like this will never account for them all. A better account will of his life will be shared over time as we live to fulfill and deepen the legacy he set in me and my family. His impact on our lives will last forever. Grandpa\'s last text to me said that he was so proud and blessed to see me as a brother in Christ. The greatest thing about my grandpa is that he was a child of God, which means that this time without him is only momentary. Just a little while longer and I\'ll get to spend forever with him and our Jesus. Grandpa, I know you\'re enjoying every moment with Him right now and I can\'t wait to be there with you. See you soon, Grandpa. "

"Wendell was much more than a father-in-law to me,he was a good friend . I always looked forward to spending time with Wendell and Sherry ,visiting , spending holidays with them,going out to dinner,playing games,and many more.But as I know Wendell,a man of great faith,he is with his lord and savior, and we will all be together again."

"I couldn\'t imagine a better father-in-law than Wendell, he has truly been a blessing for the past 32 years and I will miss him like my own father. Whenever he came to visit he was always willing to help with projects around the house, and, since he was an engineer, he knew how to do just about everything. We could always leave the kids with grandpa and grandma and know that they were going to have a good time whenever Robyn and I went on a mission trip. Whenever we visited he always included me in the mens breakfasts and I got to meet a bunch of really good guys and listen to some great stories. Wendell was a man of great faith so I know I\'ll see him again."

"We first met Wendell & Sherry when their daughter Stacie and our son Matt became friends while attending Bowling Green State University. This was over 30 years ago. During these years we had the pleasure of spending holidays with Wendell & Sherry, usually at our children\'s home. As we have always lived across the U.S. from our son and daughter in-law, Wendell has had to fill in as a father figure to our son. We will always be grateful for the Christian advice and example he set for him. It is comforting to know Wendell is in the presence of his Lord and Savior. He will be missed."

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"Sherry, I am so sorry to hear of Wendell?s passing. I wish I could be there for you, but my prayers certainly will be. God bless you and your family. Janice Vasconcellos"

"Wendell is better known to me as Memel. The reason was at a very early age I was able to talk and Memel was the way I could pronounce Wendell. He was my first cousin but because I spent so many days at his wonderful home he was more like a big brother (10 yes older than me). Living in Pittsburgh, when Wendell and Sherry were passing through, we would set up a meeting place and I would leave work to see them. I?m so glad I had a chance to visit last October. I really loved him so and am so glad I?ll see him again in heaven. "

"John and I would meet Wendell and Sheri at their first place of residence in Cuba, NY, where we became good friends. Stayed friends throughout the years. Then got to meet again when they made their last move to Arizona, where we live. Our love and prayers are with Wendell?s family. John and Betty Gleason "