West Bend, WI – Lillian Ritger, nee Peters, 94, of West Bend, Wi, surrounded by the love of her family, passed peacefully into eternal life on September 6, 2024.
She was born December 14, 1929, in West Bend to Henry and Theresa (nee Melder) Peters. She grew up on the family farm, as one of 10 children. At age 13, she left home to attend Aquinas High School in La Crosse, WI. During one of her return trips home she met her soon-to-be husband, Anthony P. Ritger.
They married on June 21, 1950, at Holy Angels Catholic Church in West Bend, and settled on the Ritger family dairy farm in Allenton. They were together for almost 63 years until the time of Tony’s passing in 2013.
Together they raised 10 children. She worked tirelessly and was dedicated to farming. She always had an abundant garden and beautiful flower beds that she tended with great care. She was skilled in many types of handiwork and was resourceful in the management of her household.
She was a dedicated and active member of Resurrection Catholic Parish in Allenton, and later Holy Angels Catholic Church. She was a lifetime advocate for a sustainable, family farm system of agriculture. She gave of her time and served on the Diocesan Rural Life Committee and was a founding member of the Wisconsin Rural Development Center.
She loved to read and was particularly fond of the agricultural-themed readings and poems of Wendell Berry. In her relationships and associations over her long life, she demonstrated kindness, open-mindedness, curiosity, and inclusiveness. She cared about others and showed it with generosity and a desire for justice. We will miss all her wonderful traits and most of all, we will miss her presence and joy.
Those left to cherish her memory include her nine children: Paul of West Bend, Robert (Casilda) of Milwaukee, Margaret Kohl of Waukesha, Helen (James) Grimes of Cambridge, Charles (LuAnn Lonergan) of Kiel, John (Judy) of Allenton, Mary Ritger of Mayville, Bernard (Debbie) of Fond du Lac, daughter-in-law (Renee) of Newton and Lucy (Arvind) Mattoo of Westport, CT. She is also survived by 25 grandchildren, 43 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. She is further survived by her brother-and-sisters-in-law Rita Peters, Shirley Ritger and Peter (Beverly) Ritger, nieces, nephews and additional relatives and friends.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents, her son Frank Ritger, daughter-in-law Marie (nee Jaycox) Ritger, son-in-law John Kohl, her siblings Fr. Raymond Peters, Dorothy Baumann, Marie Wiedmeyer, Donald Peters, Genevieve Wiedmeyer, Aloys Peters, Edmund Peters, Francis Peters, and Henrietta Schnitzler, her sisters-in-law Harriett Peters, Edna Peters, Frances Rettler, Imelda Ritger, Marcia Jerde, and Mary Ellen Schulz, brothers-in-law Norbert Baumann, Edward Wiedmeyer, Gregory Wiedmeyer, Joseph Schnitzler, Donald Rettler, LeRoy Ritger, Herbert Ritger, Ronald Jerde, and Donald Schultz.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 28 at Holy Angels Catholic Church in West Bend with Rev. Howard Haase presiding. Visitation will take place at Holy Angels Catholic Church on Friday, September 27, 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday, September 28, 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. There will be a prayer vigil after the Friday visitation, 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., led by Rev. Pat Heppe. A private family burial will be held at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Allenton.
In lieu of flowers, Lillian requested that people donate to Resurrection Parish in Allenton, the Holy Angels School Trust Fund, or a charity of the donor’s choice.
The Schmidt Funeral Home of West Bend is serving the family. Messages for the family may be left in an online guestbook at www.schmidtfuneralhome.com.
