Anna Slaby Ritter, 90, a resident of Fairhope and a former resident of Pensacola, Fla., died Sunday, April 3, 2011.
She was a beloved wife and companion to her husband, Oren Ritter, for 65 years and a wise and loving mother to her children and grandchildren. She was also a kind and trusting friend to all she met. She was a gentle lady whose deep spirituality and abiding faith made her strong and steadfast.
She was a resident of Silverhill as a child, being a first generation American and child to Czechoslovakian parents. She married Oren Ritter, a chief petty officer in the navy, and lived in numerous postings throughout the United States, from Hawaii to Florida before retiring to Pensacola in the 1970s.
Her motherly support extended well beyond her immediate family. While her husband was director of the Boy Scout Camp in DeFuniak Springs for 17 years, she was behind the scenes providing a touch of home for the legion of young boys that experienced the scouting tradition.
She was the quintessential homemaker. She was considered the “comfort food cook extraordinaire” with specialty dishes that would set the mood for any occasion, especially around the holidays.
Following the death of her husband, she moved back to Alabama to live with her daughter’s family and enjoy her final years in the city and on the bay she loved to visit as a child.
She was preceded in death by her husband.
Survivors include one of her four siblings, her sister, Mary Anderson of Pensacola; son, Gary Ritter of Pensacola; daughter, Brenda (Kevin) Shaw of Fairhope; and grandchildren, Burke Ritter of Pace, Fla., Travis Ritter of Pensacola, and Natalie Shaw of Fairhope.
A memorial service will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 9 at Pensacola Memorial Gardens Funeral Home. She will be interred with her husband at Barancas National Cemetery, NAS Pensacola.
Arrangements are by Pensacola Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home, Pensacola, Fla.
