[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 45 (Wednesday, April 16, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 REMARKS FROM THE MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR RUTH P. RITTER MADE BY HER SON, 
                DON RITTER ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 16, 1997

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of a former 
colleague and friend, Congressman Don Ritter. He recently lost his 
mother and asked that I share the eulogy he delivered in her honor.

       Please bear with my reading these remarks. I'm not 
     accustomed to reading speeches but * * * it's easier for me 
     to get to the finish. I guess Mom was emotional, too. Listen 
     to this if you can hear us Mom, Holden came all the way from 
     Germany, Christopher from Los Angeles, Kristina from San 
     Francisco, Edie and Jordan from Pennsylvania, Melody came 
     from right here in Seffner but she would have come from 
     around the world. It is a truly wonderful thing that we 
     gather here today to say good-bye to our beloved mother, 
     grandmother, guardian, role model and friend. But it is not a 
     final adieu that we bid, for she will be with us in spirit; 
     she will be in our hearts for as long as we live, perhaps 
     forever.
       I believe I speak for everyone here and for all who knew 
     her who could not be here today. When we think about what 
     defined Ruth P. Ritter during her marvelous, exciting, rich 
     and full lifetime, here's what rings out like a bell.
       She was Nurturing: Ruth P. Ritter was the most nurturing 
     person I have ever known. She nurtured us, constantly, over 
     the decades--our education/families/our security after she 
     was gone.
       She had Dignity: She had great dignity. She was a grand 
     lady--her principles did not shift and change with time. She 
     was consistent, judging people by their deeds, not their 
     words.
       She was an Optimist: She always looked to the brighter 
     side. Never did she give up hope. She had suffered greatly 
     but never lost her cheery spirit. When her health 
     deteriorated, she still focused on her children and her 
     grandchildren. And she worked at making her hopes come 
     true.
       She was Modest: She was so modest about her own 
     achievements, the way she lived was so modest. She clipped 
     coupons until the very end--while the stocks and bonds of the 
     trusts she established for family grew large.
       And she was Talented: First, she was a great mathematician 
     and a great teacher. She was an award winning teacher of 
     children. She taught us. And she did all this in spite of a 
     handicap. She had difficulty hearing and that went way back. 
     I remember her fear, after working so hard to become an 
     Assistant Principal, at taking the Principal's exam based on 
     her hearing. And that was long ago. It was a constant 
     difficulty as she was so keen on engaging in discussions with 
     people. Yet, she would always be a natural teacher, almost up 
     to the end. She used to work late at night preparing her 
     lessons. I remember helping her with the art work, posters, 
     presentations, teaching materials. We worked together. We 
     enjoyed each other.
       Second, she was a great investor of her capital. She took 
     Dad's limited investments and a never ending influx of a part 
     of her pension and invested wisely, continuously, 
     relentlessly. She put it together for us. She barely touched 
     it. She told me this would be her gift to her children and 
     grandchildren. It meant more to her than spending it on 
     herself. And that's the way she lived.
       She Sacrificed: She was born sacrificer for her family. 
     That was her greatest gift throughout our lives. Gifts of 
     love, friendship, concern and wealth live on. She got 
     enormous pleasure from giving to us and thereby helping us to 
     build our own lives. Generosity was Ruth Ritter's middle 
     name. She helped me at every important stage of my life.
       She Persevered: Perseverance was her stock in trade. When 
     she made up her mind, something had to be, she would make it 
     happen. She, paraphrasing Sir Winston Churchill, would 
     ``never give up.'' Sometimes it could be called stubbornness 
     . . . but whatever you call it, her perseverance made her 
     strong in life and kept her going through grievous times . . 
     . I can remember the times, the sound and the fury over 
     things we both believed were true . . . oppositely!
       Edie and I and Jason and Kristina will never forget the 
     Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday visits--the magnificent 
     presents, the turkey dinners, the love--first with Dan and 
     Mom and then with Mom alone. And although we've lost both and 
     Steve in less than a year, Mom, we will not despair. We will 
     take a page from your book and go on in the very best way we 
     can.
       When her firstborn son and my brother, Stephen, with whom 
     there was a truly wonderful reconciliation in the latter 
     years, died prematurely last year, it was an enormous blow to 
     Mom. Stephen and Melody were her great friends and near 
     neighbors in the Tampa area and were the reason Mom came back 
     east for what she knew were her final years. Steve's death 
     brought unimaginable sadness to Mom, but she never lost her 
     optimism about life and her family.
       And last, dear mother of mine and of all of us, how you 
     would have gotten pleasure to see us gathered together--your 
     loved ones, your family hopefully getting to know one another 
     after so many years.
       The really good part of today, the sunrise part, is that we 
     are, at last, our blood line, our family and those who joined 
     it, ready to go forward, smartly and confidently, into the 
     future. We will build on the love, the nurturing spirit, the 
     dignity, the hope, the modesty, the optimism, the 
     perseverance, and the skills of life that we received and we 
     learned from you.
       Until we meet again, Mom, we shall love, cherish and 
     remember you.

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