Clarence John Ritenour

Clarence Ritenour, 95 of Hemet, California passed away on Wednesday, May 30, 2012. Surviving are sons, John and Tim Ritenour of Riverside, CA, daughter, Margaret Oehlert of Eastpoint, FL, sister, Phyllis Lecklitner of Charlotte, FL; 7 grand children; 6 great grand children. He was predeceased by his wife Ursula Ritenour of 50 years , son, Fred Ritenour, brothers, Jay and Robert Ritenour , sisters Amy Lou Williams and Rose Mary Wilson. Clarence Ritenour was originally from Indiana; Clarence still proudly refers to himself as a Hossier. In 1935 he visited an uncle in Chicago and got a job as a milkman earning $45 a week. "That was big money back then and so I bought myself a Buick convertible",. He later joined the Army and met his wife Ursula and soon welcomed the first of their four children. When he left the Army five years later, he purchased a milk route back in Chicago. A few years later he visited his brother in CA during the holidays and realized a "blizzard-free winter" would suit him just fine. Clarence sold their home and milk route and moved his family to sunny CA.

Clarence shifted gears in CA and bought a car wash in Alhambra, which also had a used car lot on it. He liquidated the car lot and leased that land to a woman who built one of the first McDonald's franchises in the country on his property. Clarence, ever the entrepreneur, eventually sold the car wash and property and settled into the mobile home/trailer business. He moved his business into Riverside in 1957 and expanded to include a parts store, welding business and trailer rental.

They retired to Sun City and traveled for the next 14 years in their RV. After visiting a friend at The Village, Clarence and Ursula decided the relaxed lifestyle suited them as well and soon moved in. Ursula passed away three years later. Clarence stayed active, shooting pool and volunteering with the Gideon's. Cupid's arrow would strike again when Clarence met Nellie, his new neighbor. They later married in The Village Pavilion and spent three happy years together until Nellie passed. He liked to refer to himself as from the "FBI", A farm boy from Indiana. He never met a stranger he did not like. His family describes him as gregarious, caring and always had a joke ready to tell.