116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Don Ritsch
DON RITSCH
Cedar Rapids
We lost our brother, Don Ritsch, 50, of Cedar Rapids,
to lung cancer on Friday,
Feb. 17, 2017, at his home with Bob by his side. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Arrangements by Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar Rapids.
Our family includes his son, whom Don loved dearly, Michael "Mike" Ritsch; parents, Barbara (Pete) Heacox and Mike Ritsch; us (his brothers), Bob (Jodi) and Bill Ritsch; former wife, Marcy Ritsch, who he maintained a friendship with; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
Preceding him in death were his grandparents.
The oldest of the three of us, Donald Michael Ritsch was born (with a wild hair) on Nov. 5, 1966, in Eau Claire, Wis., to Mike and Barbara (Willison) Ritsch. He attended Memorial High School, graduating in 1985, and then took an "early retirement" to become a ski bum in Colorado, joking "I'll have to work the rest of my life" (which he did). A complicated guy, he retired, married, had a son, and then graduated college. One of the best days of his life was when his son, Mike, was born. We know he was extremely proud of his son and enjoyed watching Mike's school plays the weekend before the gun/deer opener in Wisconsin. Don graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stout with a degree in packaging engineering in 2004. Most recently, he worked for Frontier Co-op, where he liked and respected his co-workers.
Don packed more living into 50 years than anyone we've ever known. He loved music, especially John Prine, was incredibly thoughtful, a great gift giver, and always enjoyed sharing others' successes.
As his brothers, we can say that he could be short and highly opinionated, but beneath it all he was a softy with a huge heart. He was the guy who would give you the shirt off his back (and expect you to reciprocate), and was only a short car ride away.
We hope you have a great view of and are standing by peaceful waters. Send a note if the fish are biting, we love and miss you. Love, Bob and Bill.
Please share your support and memories with Don's family on his tribute wall at www.stewartbaxter.com under obituaries.
Daily Newsletters