Obituary of Kathleen Ritter

Funeral Services will be Saturday for Kathleen "Toddy" Ritter who passed away peacefully of natural causes on January 28th, surrounded by her family in Santa Cruz. She was 86. A longtime resident of Santa Cruz, Toddy moved here in 1957 from where she grew up in San Francisco after marrying her husband Robert John Ritter just two years before. She will always be remembered for her big heart lovely smile and silly laugh. Toddy was always known to help those in need, often acting as a surrogate mother and grandmother to countless children whom she touched during her life. She always accepted and loved everyone and made sure they knew they always had a place at the dinner table and a warm place to sleep. There were many who took advantage of this generosity for days, months or even years when needed. She knew teenagers needed a safe place to hang out and would let them flood her house every day, regardless of how many showed up to play pool. Toddy was well known for baking Christmas cookies every year and looked forward to connecting with her friends and family when delivering them. She was one who always led by example and never said a harsh word or expressed ill will towards anyone. When asked for advice she would never preach, simply stating her opinion and would let you work through it while she was there to support you; offering a hug and kiss when needed. She made many friends throughout her many years of service working as an accountant for Ebsco Publishing and the Municipal Court of Santa Cruz. In addition to her professional career she also found time to donate time to the community. She was an avid Oakland A's fan, and loved attending games with her family. Toddy will be missed by all whose lives were privileged to have been touched by her, including her children Barney, Katie and Myles; her grandchildren Tiffany, Brittany, Taryn, Julianna, Emily, and Hailey; and her great grandchildren Emma and Logan any many nieces and nephews. Visitation for family and friends will be held at the Oakwood Crystal Chapel, 3301 Paul Sweet Rd. on Friday, Feb. 3rd, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., the Holy Rosary will be recited at 6:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held the following day, Saturday, Feb. 4th, 1:00 p.m. at the Oakwood Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations made in Toddy's memory to Cindy's Celebrations, P.O. Box 1637, Capitola, CA 95010, who were so caring to her in her later life, providing social interactions and entertainment weekly for many years.