Bryan James Ritchie passed away peacefully at Red Deer, Alberta on Saturday, January 19, 2019 at the age of 64 years. Bryan is survived by his loving wife, Diana and son, Caleb (Erin). He is also survived by his siblings: Donna (Gary) Thompson, Elva (Lynn) Hickey, and Mel (Jayne) Ritchie. Bryan will be lovingly remembered by niece, Krista (Tom) Fry, nephew, Shawn (Amanda) Ritchie, and nieces, Amy (Joel) Thompson and Erin (Brad) Thompson as well as great nephew, Colton and niece, Nykole. Bryan will be sadly missed by his step children, Jared (Marion), Eric (Devyn) daughter Olivia, and Acacia (Mike). He was predeceased by his parents, Harvey and Betty Ritchie. Bryan was born in Wingham, Ontario on September 9, 1954. He was raised on the family farm and attended school at Lucknow, ON and graduated FE Madill High School, Wingham. He then attended Ridgetown Ag College and farmed with Mel and his dad. His adventurous soul took him to work on a farm at Dawson Creek, BC and a cotton farm in Arizona. He settled in Red Deer and worked for Kaun’s Seed Farm, FeedRite and EOne. He later attended Red Deer College and graduated from the Business Admin program. Bryan had a passion for country life, farming and nature. Over the years, he raised cattle, sheep, bees and heirloom tomatoes. He also had a keen interest in photography and computers. He was a highly intelligent and curious person who was the “go-to person” in the family for technical questions. Bryan was reliable, determined and always analytical – whether it was the situation at hand or the stock market. He was a proud, supportive father of Caleb and they shared many interests. Caleb and Bryan took many road trips together as it was just the two of them for many years. In Red Deer, Bryan met Diana, the love and light of his life. The day they met it was the beginning of a beautiful and rich journey of love, devotion, and loyalty. They married in 2012 and moved to Vegreville, and then to Fort McMurray where they last resided. He was a kind, gentle, and caring husband who honoured, respected, and cherished Diana. Bryan had longstanding health concerns and never let these get in the way of enjoying life. As he became more health compromised, he continued to watch hours of YouTube farming shows to keep abreast of farming trends. Bryan’s faith also was very important and brought him comfort over the years. He maintained a positive attitude right to the end of his life journey. Bryan was deeply treasured by those who shared his light and will be sadly missed by family and friends. Donations may be made in Bryan’s memory to the Canadian Lung Association or Canadian Sarcoidosis Organization, 73 Bridle Estates Road SW, Calgary, AB, T2Y 5A9.

• Date : 2019-01-19
• Location : Red Deer