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Emelie Ritchey Condolence Fund

A tragic fire occured at the home of our parents on December 16th.  They lost their home of 40 years, and our father, John, passed away due to injuries sustained from the fire after fighting for his life for a week. 

Nothing can replace him.   The big question we keep getting is 'What can we do?'  We decided to set-up this fund for those that would like to directly help our mother, Emelie, during this difficult time.  

We are grateful for all the love and support from all of you.


Our father was a kind soul with a baritone voice.  He worked hard to put himself through college all while starting a family and working a full time job.  His faith was strong and he put 6 kids through school and all graduated from college.  He never put himself first always thinking about my mother and his children, even up until the end.   He was the first one his siblings went to if they needed help and he was always willing to help them find a way. 

 My dad loved all of us, especially my mother.  No love story is perfect but the dedication my parents showed to one another is something all of us can learn from.  Known as Paw Paw to his grandkids he always seemed like a giant teddy bear to the little ones. 

 As I sit here and reflect on growing up, I remember my dad only missed one game of my collegiate soccer career.  One game….how many people can say that?  He was passionate about cheering us on even getting himself kicked out of a couple of games because of that passion.  :) 

I will share more stories as my siblings relay them to me. 

We will never know all the answers but we do know that a man who put faith and family first loved us.
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Donations 

  • Amy O'Connor
    • $100 
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer

Carolyn Ritchey Hayzlett
Organizer
Columbus, OH

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