Obituary of John Emmett Ritter, Jr.

John Emmett, Ritter, Jr.

John Emmett Ritter, Jr. was born to Emmett, Sr. & Anna F. (Ramsel) Ritter in Wathena, Kansas, on May 12, 1940. John died on July 22, 2023, in Boise, Idaho.

John Emmett’s life was one of athleticism, coaching, leadership and service.

John was a stand-out basketball and track athlete at Wathena High School from 1954-1958, setting all-time basketball scoring records that stood for decades. John attended St. Benedict’s College (now Benedictine College), a small Catholic liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas, where he played on a basketball scholarship, and got the nickname “Tex” by his forever friends, “The Gang of ’62.” John finished his Benedictine playing days as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,345 points, and was named to the Small Catholic College All-American team. He would go on to play one season of professional ball in the American Basketball League for the Pittsburgh Wrens and the Kansas City Steers.

John went on to coach football and basketball at St. Agnes High School in Springfield, MO, where he met Kathleen Yost. They were married August 28, 1965, and then moved to Emporia, Kansas, to get their master’s degrees at Kansas State Teachers College.

In the summer of 1972, John & Kathy, and their two young daughters, moved to Albuquerque, NM, to do their doctoral work at the University of New Mexico. Fresh with their degrees, the family rented a U-Haul and moved to Bakersfield, California in 1974 to begin work at California State University, Bakersfield. John worked in the education department supervising student teachers, but had a calling for Catholic education. He went on to a long and distinguished career at Garces Memorial High School as Vice Principal of Curriculum and Instruction, finishing out his tenure as Principal. Many a faculty member were hired and mentored by Dr. Ritter. John was committed to academic excellence, set high expectations for himself and others, and treated everyone with courtesy and respect. Often direct, you always knew where John stood on things. 

Following retirement, John was “promoted” to the landscape crew at Garces, his group of buddies who met weekly to walk the grounds, get dirty, and keep things looking good.

John kept an active schedule of volunteer service during his working years: he was a Thursday evening “baby cuddler” for NICU babies at San Joaquin Memorial Hospital; he officiated high school basketball throughout Kern County; he was a highly sought-after head track & field judge for meets up and down California’s central valley; and during the fall, he was the Friday night companion of an elderly gentlemen whom he picked at 4 pm for dinner followed by attendance at Garces football games.

John was Papa to his three adored grandchildren, and over the years, shared with them his love of sports, eating, and “fixing things.” Papa could build or fix almost anything. 

John was preceded in death by his parents, spouse Kathleen, and beloved sister Karen Ann Boos (“Tootsie”). John is survived by his daughters Alicia Ann Ritter (Robert Deen); and Mary Kathryn Klein (Eric Klein), and grandchildren, Zachary Aaron Klein, Paxton Annalee Klein, and Elliot Scott Klein.

Dad always said, “leave something better than you found it.” Well, Dad, you left this world a better place for your being in it. Thank you for being a great role model of service and excellence, we will forever live by your example. We love you.

A Funeral Liturgy will be conducted on Saturday, July 29, 11 am (MDT), at Holy Apostles Catholic Church, Meridian, Idaho; Recitation of the Rosary at 10 am. Rite of Committal will immediately follow at Canyon Hill Cemetery, Caldwell, Idaho. The services will be livestreamed on Holy Apostles Meridian Facebook page. (https://www.Facebook.com/holyapostles.church/live_videos/)

The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be sent to the John E. “Tex” Ritter, Jr. Scholarship fund, which has been established by his family to support students in need at Benedictine College, Office of Advancement, 1020 N. Second Street, Atchison, Kansas, 66002.