Norman Michael “Mickey” Ritchie was born June 22nd 1937 in Lake Oswego, Oregon to Julia Christine “Jo” Person Ritchie and Norman Claude Ritchie. He passed away at his home in Selah Washington on November 22, 2020.
Mickey graduated from Lake Oswego High School in 1955. He excelled at four years of high school football, playing in at least one state championship game. In that game he hurt his back and was given a cortisone shot, and sent back in. He suffered back problems for the rest of his life.
He married Sandra Klein, his high school sweetheart, and had a son Steven Michael January 11th, 1960 then his daughter Susan Marie June 23, 1961.
Mickey married Linda Pugh and Scott Allen was born in 1966. Linda had a surprise birthday party planned. When he came through the door, everyone yelled surprise and then Lynda told him she was in labor. Scott was born on June 22, dad’s birthday
Mickey worked most of his life in the grocery business working his way up to be Regional Sales Manager for Reser’s Fine Foods. He was friends with Al Reser, who used to throw the BEST company parties. I have some wonderful memories of those parties, now Al has named the Beavers stadium. From there he moved on to his own food brokerage business, moving his family to eastern Washington, running his business from Walla Walla.
He worked on building his own boat for commercial fishing as a hobby in the 1970’s. The first year he and his partner fished out of La Push Washington. Leaving both families’ children to run wild in the forests of the Great Pacific Northwest, like natives, eating berries and building fire to open oysters as we wore flips on the beach and cut our feet and burned our shoulders.
We took the boat to Dungeness Bay one year and jigged for crab. We had a pot of boiling water ready...I ate a record two crabs that day. We must have caught a dozen. My brothers and I camped on land while dad and Linda boat camped. We had the freedom of an inflatable, tent, snacks and the ability to stay up all night.
He was always working on the family’s vehicles and later in life turned out some amazing woodwork. We all have benefitted from his artistry.
He was a lover of music and I am happy to have shared with him some music he might not have heard otherwise.
He was a lifelong reader and enjoyed sharing books and reading about history.
He loved animals, and always had a dog or two or three, horses, cats even cows, pigs and an occasional chicken.
He met the love of his life Barbara Abetya in the 1980’s on a blind date. They were married a couple of years after and went on to settle in Selah Washington. Together they would go on to foster many children, adopting Rosa Morfin as their own.
Mickey was an avid hunter, fisherman, and general all around outdoorsman. He shared this love with Barbara. They were founding members of the Back Country Horsemen of Central Washington. They spent many years packing into the high country with their beloved horses.
He lived a full and complete life, one we all can aspire to.
He was preceded in death by his wife Barbara. He is survived by sons Steven Ritchie (Carol), Scott Ritchie (Nancy), daughters Susan Scribner (Michael) and Rosa Morfin, his brother Ivan Ritchie (Virginia), grandchildren Chase Comstock, Lexa Kay Ritchie, Ellen Scribner, Noah Ritchie and Sara Ritchie, nieces Cariann Ritchie Woodral, Juliann Ritchie Wozniak, and Molliann Ritchie Berkner.
He is also survived by two children by marriage, Terry P. Abeyta (Danielle Beaulaurier) and Kathy McClain-Robinson (Tutt Robinson).
There will be a private family service at Keith and Keith Funeral Home. The internment at Calvary Cemetery is open to the public. That will be at 11:30 a.m. on December 8, 2020.
