William Ritter

William David Ritter, 75, of Canyon, passed away on Wednesday, July 11, 2018 in Amarillo. Services will be at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, July 14, 2018 at First Baptist Church in Canyon with Rev. Steve Olsen, Pastor, and Rev. Gene Jones, Associate Pastor of Senior Adults, officiating.  Burial will follow at Dreamland Cemetery.  The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. on Friday, July 13, 2018 at Brooks Chapel in Canyon.  Bill Ritter was born January 27, 1943 in Joplin, Mo., to the late George Henry Ritter and Alice Loue Ritter.  He married Loreta Joyce (Waters) Ritter on October 6, 1973 in Clarendon.  The couple raised two sons, Timothy Shane Ritter and Jeremy Sean Ritter.  Bill graduated from Canyon High School in 1961 and earned his Bachelor's and Masters Degrees from West Texas State University.  Upon graduating from college and serving in the United States Army, he began his teaching career in Longview, Texas from 1978-1994. In 1994, Bill moved his family to Canyon and he started teaching Mathematics at Tulia High School.  He taught for 28 years before retiring in 2006 from Tulia ISD. Bill was a diehard fan of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the St. Louis Cardinals.  He loved spending time with his wife and sons on trips to Fayetteville, Ark., to watch the Razorbacks and Joplin, Mo., to eat at Fred's Chili. Bill supported and loved his family, and always enjoyed watching his sons play baseball.  Also, Bill loved taking his sons fishing in East Texas and the mountains of Colorado, as well as working outdoors and playing with his dogs. Bill was a member of First Baptist Church in Canyon and his favorite scripture was Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ, which gives me strength." Bill was preceded in death by his parents, George Henry and Alice Loue Ritter in 2004. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Joyce Ritter, of the home; two sons, Timothy Shane Ritter, of Canyon and Jeremy Sean Ritter and wife, Paige, of Lubbock; grandson, Henry David Ritter, of Lubbock; step-grandchildren, Cade and Logan Light, of Lubbock; sister, Janet Hand and husband, Bob, of Canyon; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank the staff at Don and Sybil Harrington Cancer Center for their care and support during the past two years. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be to the Don and Sybil Harrington Cancer Center, 1500 Wallace Blvd., Amarillo, TX 79106, ATTN: Ann Sykes or a charity of your choice.