Robert E. (Bob) Ritchie II

Robert E. (Bob) Ritchie II, 79, passed away early Monday, October 24, 2016. The son of Reeves and Gladys Ritchie, he was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on November 4, 1936. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Dana Booe Ritchie; four children and their families: Pamela Ritchie Aguirre of Abilene, Texas and her daughter, Sarah Aguirre Guy and son-in-law, J. Guy; J. Ritchie of Seattle, Washington and his spouse, Mark Linvill; Robin Ritchie McNight of Conroe, Texas and her husband, Allen McNight and their two daughters, Rebecca Elizabeth McNight and Kathryn Grace McNight; Susan Ritchie Moenning of Madison, Mississippi and her husband, Chuck Moenning. He is preceded in death by his parents, Reeves and Gladys Ritchie, and his sister, Nancy Ritchie Ogle. He graduated in 1954, from Pine Bluff High School. He attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where he joined Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Bob took a two year break from college to serve in the US Air Force returning to the U of A in the fall of 1960, where he graduated with a BSBA in January of 1962. Bob's career spanned banking, management and computer consulting, retirement planning and 22 years with the State of Arkansas Department of Computer Services. He retired in July 1999. In 1962, Bob met his future wife, Dana Booe Martin, on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend. They were married in 1966. They spent their honeymoon in Rio de Janerio, Brazil; LaPaz and Santa Cruz Bolivia. Bob was active in many community activities as a member of the Little Rock Jaycees where he served on the Board of Directors, Treasurer, and State Director. He served on the board of the Arkansas Arts Center for a number of years and was a member of Little Rock Community Theater serving as Producer, Treasurer, Vice President, and President. Bob was a member of the Downtown Little Rock Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. Bob was the treasurer of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity Alumni Association. Bob's passion for the outdoors spurred his active involvement in the Ozark Society serving as local chapter vice president and president, and he served on the board of the parent organization for over thirty years, including terms as Vice President and President. He also served as the Ozark Society Treasurer for over 25 years. Bob was a member of the Little Rock Country Club, and also, Lakeside Country Club, where he and Dana enjoyed entertaining friends at an annual ''Christmas in the Country'' party. He served on the Lakeside Board of Directors for nine years. Bob was active for over thirty years in the Boy Scouts of America serving on the troop committee, as Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster. He also served on the Pioneer District Committee as District Camping Chairman, District Commissioner, and as District Chairman. During this time,Bob received the District Award of Merit; the Life, Family, and Church Award; and the Silver Beaver Award. He led five trips to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico taking over 50 scouts and adults for ten days of backpacking in the back country of the over 137,000-acre ranch in northeast New Mexico. A lifelong member of the First Christian Church, Bob served as Deacon, Elder, Worship Leader, Youth Leader, Committee Chairman, Vice-Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the Board and Trustee. For 15 years, he took the high school aged youth to the Great Smoky Mountains for a week of backpacking and white water rafting. Bob's love of the outdoors was fostered by many fishing and hunting trips with his father starting as a young boy and continuing into adulthood. He canoed most of the rivers in Arkansas and southern Missouri. He rafted whitewater rivers in the western US including the Salmon and Middle Fork of the Salmon in Idaho, the Madison, Gallatin, and Yellowstone in Montana, the Arkansas River in Colorado, and the Colorado River through the entire Grand Canyon (twice) in Arizona. In addition to Philmont, his backpacking trips have taken him to the Great Smoky Mountains. Bob hiked many miles looking for Indian ruins, petroglyphs, and pictographs in Arizona and Utah, across the Continental Divide in Colorado, and a dozen trips into and across the Grand Canyon. Bob also hiked many miles with the Boy Scouts or with friends in the Ozark Society on the Ouachita Trail, the Ozark Highlands Trail and The Buffalo River Trail and other hiking trails in Arkansas. Bob shared this love of nature with his children, Pam, J., Robin, and Susan taking them on canoe trips and backpacking trips when they were growing up. Bob and his wife, Dana loved to travel. They traveled extensively throughout the US, including Alaska, Hawaii, and river trips via canoe, raft or paddlewheel. They enjoyed traveling overseas including Finland, Russia, Greece, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, South Africa, England, France, Italy, and Turkey. He was thrilled to visit Washington D.C. and attend the festivities of the first Clinton inauguration in 1993. One of Bob's greatest sources of pride and joy were his four children, Pam, J, Robin, and Susan. Although Dana had two children when they married, Bob never had step-children. They immediately became his own and soon changed their last names to Ritchie. One of Bob's proudest moments was when his son J told Bob he wanted to be adopted and had already talked to a lawyer to arrange and pay for the adoption himself. Of course Bob said "yes". What a wonderful tribute to Bob. Despite all his accomplishments and giving back to the community, his greatest accomplishments were "loving, supportive husband and father" who always acted with kindness and integrity through the positive examples he set each and every day of his life. The memorial service will be on Thursday, October 27, 2016 at 2:00 pm at the Second Presbyterian Church, 600 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock, Arkansas with family visitation following. Prior to the memorial service, there will be a private family burial service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Ozark Society, refer to www.ozarksociety.net or First Christian Church Endowment Fund, 1500 N. Mississippi Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72207. There will be no viewing. The pallbearers include Alice Andrews, Catherine Tolson, Fred Chilcote, Guy Dillahunty, Dave Gruenwald, Rex Kyle, Mark Linvill, Grady McCoy, Allen McNight, Joe Pete McNeill, Chuck Moenning, and Jim Mulkey. Online guestbook: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/chenal.