October 29, 1931 - December 14, 2019
Leo Ritter passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving wife and family on Dec. 14, 2019. He was born on October 29, 1931 in Fletcher, Oklahoma. After moving to Texas as a young man, Leo fell in love with his wife of 68 years, Dorothy Lea on their first date. They were married on June 2, 1951. Leo proudly served in the Army from 1952 to 1954. He held multiple positions with Brown Express until his retirement.
Leo was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and brother. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jester and Goldie Ritter, son; Larry Lea; granddaughter; Alyssa; siblings; Maggie, Jack, Shirley, Annie, Iva, Ben and Thelma. Leo's memory will be cherished by his loving wife, Dorothy; his four daughters, Rhonda (Nick) Wells of Red Oak, Louise Ritter of Dallas, Donna (Clay) McCarty of Red Oak and Sharon (Brian) Turley of Mooresville, IN. He was greatly loved by his daughter-in-law Linda Lea of Mercedes. Leo's beautiful spirit will live on in his grandchildren; Jeff Wells, Kirk (Leslie) Wells, Stephanie (Sterling) Gilkey, Casey (Mark) Bailey, Lauren (Matt) Swaner, Brianna (Rob) Crandall, Paige Turley and Carson Ritter. Leo adored his great grandchildren, Alexis (Shane), Austin, Cameron, Dylan, Garrett, Sterling, Chandler, Jax, Teagen, Kylie, May, Liam, and Madison. He will also be sorely missed by his twin sister, Cleo (Clyde) Jones and many nieces and nephews.
Throughout his life, Leo enjoyed woodworking and hunting. He was a longtime fan of both the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers. Leo's greatest joy and strongest legacy was his family. His favorite past time and proudest moments were watching his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren in all their life activities and special events. He taught them all to love each other and live life to the fullest.
