John Ritchie

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by J. A. "Andy" Chacon on September 25, 2013:

Col. John Ritchie, a founding father of the City of Chelsea, dies Martin J. Reed - mreed@aol.com CHELSEA, Alabama -- Col. John Ritchie, affectionately known as "the Colonel" and a key figure in the founding of the City of Chelsea in the mid-'90s, died Sunday after being in a car crash on Highway 280 that happened the previous day. He was 88. Ritchie was involved in the car crash on U.S. Highway 280 at the intersection of Highway 39 at about 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. He was transported by ambulance from the scene. The New York-born Ritchie graduated from West Point and served in multiple wars before retiring from the Air Force and ending 33 years of service, according to his obituary. He was also a math teacher at Chelsea High School for 11 years and a "founding father" of the City of Chelsea. Ritchie earned the title of Citizen of the Year for the South Shelby Chamber Diamond Awards in 2007. Chelsea City Clerk Becky Landers wrote the letter nominating him for the award at the time. "He was one of the founders of the City of Chelsea and has been one of the councilmembers since the incorporation of the City," Landers wrote in 2007, adding that he was also a member at the time on the city's Planning Commission and Annexation Committee. "Everyone here in Chelsea cannot say enough good things about Col. Ritchie as he has spent countless hours of his time working towards the greater good and enrichment of lives for the citizens of Chelsea. I can always count on him to be here for whatever meeting or need we have and there is always a big smile and a great attitude as well!" she wrote. Ritchie stepped down from the City Council that year. ''It's been 11 years, and I just decided it was time to get out,'' he told The Birmingham News in October 2007. ''I decided there's some stuff around home that I want to do.'' Ritchie joined the Army Air Corps following the Pearl Harbor attack. He served in World War II and later in Korea and Vietnam. He attended West Point after World War II. He met his wife, Terry, on a blind date at an Army-Navy football game. They soon after married and had four children. Ritchie and his wife moved to Chelsea in 1976 to find a place to settle down and enjoy a rural lifestyle. They became involved in the community and he later started teaching math and science at Chelsea High School after earning his teaching certificate. With businesses growing along U.S. 280 corridor in the early '90s toward Chelsea, Ritchie and a few others started the process of incorporation, which officially happened in 1996. Ritchie was elected to the council three times and was about one year shy of completing his third term when he left office.

admin