Mitchell Lynn Ritter was born in Muskegon on Oct 8th 1954. He was the son of Robert and Maxine Ritter. At the age of 18 he married Sheila Ward. They moved to Florida for a short time and then returned to muskegon where they bought their first home. He went back to school to get his GED while working at Campbell's factory. He enjoyed several sports including: basketball, baseball, hockey and golf. He played hockey and softball for local teams for several years. At age 24, their first daughter Michelle Janette was born. After being laid off from Campbells, his new occupation for the next three years was stay at home dad. In 1982 he was employed by Eagle Ottawa Leather, where he worked until his death. In 1987, He bought his family a beautiful home in Norton shores, and shortly after, his second daughter Laura Ann was born. He enjoyed playing pool and softball in his free time. Both of these sports were his life. In the following years, he won trophy after trophy for his pool leagues at Dog House Salon and East Side. He played in pool leagues with his brother in law "Skip" and nephews Larry and Joe and close friends John and Rueben. These men were also best friends to him. He excelled at softball also. After winning several trophies, Mitch went on to teach and Coach teams in the area. His longest run was for Ambrose/Montes Softball, where they won tournaments at Softball World in muskegon, and then went to state champions ships. In 1993 they took the MASA Class A state Championship. In 1994 they took the USSSA Class C state championship. And in 1995 they again took the MASA class A championship. In 1996, Mitch finally let softball take a backseat, and spent the next few years with his family. One of the most amazing things about Mitch was how much of a hard worker he was. No matter how sick, or how tired, he always went to work to provide for his family and make sure they never went without. In 1999, Mitch and Sheila seperated. December 19, 1999 Mitchell passed away. He had an amazing journey and will forever be missed.
