Edward Lee Ritter

Edward Lee Ritter

GUILDERLAND — There are family photos of Edward Lee Ritter through the years, holding each one of his many nieces and nephews and, later, their children, said niece Jacqueline Gaffney. The love and care evident on his face in the photographs never wavered in his lifetime. He remained proud and supportive of each one all his life.

He worked for the New York State Office of General Services at the State Campus for 27 years, until his retirement in 1995. His family never viewed him as having a developmental disability, said Ms. Gaffney. “He was just our Uncle Ed,” she said. 

Ritter died on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born on Feb. 19, 1935 in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, the son of the late Robert S. Ritter and Geraldine I. (née Overdorf) Ritter. As a young boy, his family moved to Albany, where he attended Albany City schools.

Mr. Ritter was a longtime resident of Guilderland, and a lifelong Red Sox fan. As an adult, he lived for many years with his beloved sister, Anne Gaffney, and brother-in-law, Jack Gaffney, and their family. 

When Mr. Ritter was young, there were not many educational options for children with disabilities. It was common to institutionalize children as they transitioned from middle to high school, said Ms. Gaffney, and indeed Mr. Ritter’s parents were told to enroll him in the Rome State School when he reached that age.

They reluctantly agreed, said Ms. Gaffney, and he spent several months there until the family went to visit and saw the conditions in which residents were kept, as well as the signs of brutalization and neglect that he was showing. His parents took him back home, where they kept him at the center of family life. 

He received valuable training at the Menands Workshop, Ms. Gaffney said, that allowed him to get the state job that he performed with pride for almost three decades. He had a nearly perfect attendance record there, Gaffney said, only missing a few days once when he was very sick and another time when he fell off his bike, which was his primary means of transportation. 

The attitude of Edward Ritter’s parents and also his sister, Anne Gaffney — who was a county legislator for the 33rd District — was completely inclusive, said Jacqueline Gaffney They made sure he was never marginalized, always part of what was going on. As a matter of fact, she said, in many ways Mr. Ritter provided for many people during his lifetime. 

“He couldn’t drive, but he’d help deliver Meals on Wheels,” she recalls. He volunteered at a not-for-profit farm, working the land and helping with the animals. He visited residents at a local nursing home. He helped clean and prepare the U.S.S. Slater for public tours. “He loved his work on the U.S.S. Slater and was proud of it,” she said. 

Everywhere he went, she said, his genuine caring nature drew people to him. 

He loved to travel, and made trips to Ireland, Florida, and Virginia. 

He also loved bowling, fishing, and John Wayne. Asked what it was about John Wayne that drew Mr. Ritter, Ms. Gaffney said, “John Wayne always took charge, and everything turned out OK in the end. The good guys always prevailed. And the way John Wayne talked, it was slow and calm. And that was Ed.” 

Edward Ritter loved being a part of a large and vibrant family. In later years, when Anne and Jack Gaffney’s children moved away, things became quiet, with just three adults in the house, Jacqueline Gaffney said. Then, when Anne Gaffney started having health problems in 2002 or so, and Jack Gaffney died unexpectedly in 2004, Mr. Ritter moved into a vibrant family setting once again, and was able to live out his golden years through the loving support of Wildwood Programs, in particular the staff and residents who were his Zorn Road family.

* * * * 

Edward Lee Ritter is survived by his nieces and nephews, Linda Thomas, David Thomas, Elisabeth Kiose, Daniel Gaffney and his wife, Tiffani Beza-Gaffney, George Gaffney, Patricia Lanotte and her husband, Michael Lanotte, Jacqueline Gaffney and her husband, Jeff Cohen, Katherine Gaffney and her husband, Erik Smith, Meg Gaffney-Smith and her husband, Chip Smith, and Joseph Ritter and his wife, Nancy Ritter; his grand-nieces, Heather Broeckx, Ashley Smith and her husband Sean Owen, Leyla Kiosse and her husband Levi Steier, Mackenzi Beisler, Hannah Cohen, Sarah Cohen, and Lauren Lanotte; his grand-nephews, Joseph Ritter, Keith Ritter, Anthony Lanotte, Jack Smith, Patrick Gaffney, Sean and Aidan Smith; great-grand nieces, Summer Smith and Mattie Owen; and his cousin Virginia Overdorf. 

His siblings, Robert, Paul, Natalie, Lawrence, and beloved sister Anne Gaffney, and her husband, Jack Gaffney, all died before him.

Calling hours will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29, at the McKownville United Methodist Church, 1565 Western Avenue, Westmere. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at the McKownville United Methodist Church on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 11 a.m.

Memorial contributions may be made in Edward Ritter’s memory to the Wildwood Foundation, 2995C Curry Road Extension, Schenectady, New York 12303.

— Elizabeth Floyd Mair

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