James B. Ritter

James B. Ritter, age 79, of Mt. Carroll, IL, passed away on October 16, 2023 at his home in Mt. Carroll, IL. His remains will be interred at the Rock Island National Cemetery.

James was born June 15, 1944, in Syracuse, NY to Homer and Marion (Prouty) Ritter. He graduated from Liverpool Senior High School, Liverpool, NY with the class of 1962.

Jim met his first wife, Darlene Mohns, while he was stationed at the Savanna Army Depot, Savanna, IL, in April 1967. They were married in Savanna in October 1968, after his return home from serving a one-year deployment in Vietnam. Jim then chose to make the Savanna, IL area his home, as he enjoyed being in the Savanna, IL area. Jim’s first wife passed away in November 2007, after suffering from a stroke, along with other medical issues she was being treated for.

A few years thereafter, he then met his second wife, Norma, while they were both working at Rolling Hills Progress Center, Lanark, IL, in 2011. They were married in June 2012, in Lanark, IL, being the very first two clients in the history of Rolling Hills Progress Center to start a loving relationship, get married, and continue working there as clients.

Jim, however, began his life’s work as a janitor at General Electric in Syracuse, NY after his graduation from High School. He had worked at several different industries in the Syracuse, NY area prior to joining the US Army in June 1966. Jim served a one-year deployment term in Vietnam from September 1967 – September 1968 in Saigon as a motor pool dispatcher. He was in Saigon during the TET offensive in 1968. He was discharged honorably in 1969 while stationed in Ft. Carson, CO. During his military service, he was stationed at several Army bases across the country.

After Jim’s discharge from the Army in June 1969, he became a manually operated production machinist for most of his working years, working at several industries, retiring from that in 1998. Jim was not able to continue working as a production machinist, as he did not have the CNC training nor experience that became necessary to continue work as a machinist.

Jim then began working as a client at Rolling Hills Progress Center in Lanark, IL in April 1998, with him and his wife retiring from there in 2017.

Jim had suffered major internal injuries from an auto accident in Savanna, IL in March, 1972, to where, according to medical statistics, the doctors told him that he was not supposed to have survived them. However, Jim did not let these injuries get the best of him. He had a positive attitude all the way through this ordeal, using his humor with the medical staff, and his strong faith in God, never once arguing with the nurses, and at times reminding the nurses of when and what medication that he was to receive.

He had a long-hard journey to fight ahead of him, and he got through, and won this battle, believing that his faith in God, and prayer being key factors, with prayer being the best medicine in his recovery process. He had spent thirty days in the Intensive Care Unit, being the first patient spending the longest time in that unit at Jane Lamb Memorial Hospital, Clinton, IA (now MercyOne) up to that point, and leaving the Intensive Care Unit alive to tell about it, and having gone through several surgeries, and a great deal of pain and suffering.

He had lost several months of his employment while he was recuperating during the summer of 1972.

Through this ordeal, it had caused Jim to have a few limitations to live with for the rest of his life. But, he learned how to live with, and accept these limitations that he had acquired. There would be no way of changing or removing his limitations.

Jim had always had a positive attitude towards all of his endeavors. If someone wanted to be his friend, he accepted you as his friend. If they wanted to end the friendship, then it was their choice, not his. He never turned anyone away. He was there to help when help was needed, never asking for anything in return. If a friendship began to go bad, he tried to do his best to correct the situation to make the friendship good again.

Jim had always put God first and foremost in his life beginning in 1956, accepting God’s Son, Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He attended church on a regular weekly basis, unless he was too ill to go. He truly believed that without God leading the way in his life, his life would have been totally useless.

Jim was known for his sense of humor, catching people off-guard, punch lines, and in 1995 and 1996 did comedy skits for Thomson Melon Days. It was just Jim’s nature to make people laugh and smile.

For several years, Jim was a faithful blood donor, having donated 15 gallons. He believed that since so many people gave blood on his behalf in 1972 because of his auto accident, he wanted to return the favor in an effort to help others stay alive.

Jim had always had a creative mind, making things from ideas that would come across his mind for the home to make life for his wife and him a bit easier.

Jim also began writing inspirational poetry with the inspiration of his first wife, Darlene, with his first poem being titled, “Clutter”. In August 2004, and over the years thereafter, he wrote well over 2,500 poems. Jim let God lead with these poems, believing that God gave him the words to write to them. When Jim felt the leading to write a poem, he did it as soon as he could do so. It gave him peace in his heart when he wrote them. Jim believed that this was truly a God-given gift to him.

Jim was a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan, and he finally got to see them win the World Series in 2006 after a 108 year lull.

Jim is survived by his sister, Sandra (Robert) Piehl, in Ohio; a brother Douglas (Shirley) Ritter, in New York; some cousins; and a few close friends. Jim is preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Darlene; his second wife, Norma; a brother, Paul and a sister, Pearl, both dying in infancy at the same time.