RITCHIE, William

William Ritchie was born in Bell, Calif. in 1945 and passed away on Nov. 11, 2013. William was a second generation master mechanic. He died while restoring a classic Mustang. Greater than his love of cars was his love for his two daughters, Lorayne and Adrienne, and his four grandchildren: Loren, Michael, Isabelle, and Natasha. For the past decade and a half William worked for the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, supervising and leading in the public works and motor pool departments. His life was spent in all things mechanical from his 1980 Harley Davidson, to the Arizona Department of Transportation, General Motors Proving Grounds and Salt River Project. Those who knew William loved his stories, his jokes and his laughter. He touched the lives of many with his willingness to help and his big, kind heart. The past few years he made many friends among the Mayo Hospital staff, to whom he always brought a special sweet treat. Those who loved him the most – his daughters – will forever miss you. Lorayne will always smile when she thinks of the lessons he taught her and the love shared. The most important lesson, “You must kiss the mud puppy before you put it on the hook or the fish won’t bite.” Adrienne’s smiles come because she inherited his can-do attitude that allows her to fix anything and an affinity for scary movies. In addition to his daughters and grandchildren, William is survived by a nephew, Ronnie; two nieces, Sheila and Teresa; and a sister, Joy. Services Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013, at Messinger Mortuary in Fountain Hills. Fountain Hills Times Nov. 15, 2013