Maureen Joyce Ritter (McAllister)

March 2, 1939-July 15, 2026

Maureen Joyce McAllister was born on March 2, 1939, in Detroit, Michigan to Alexander McAllister and Mary Agnes McAllister. After an extended illness, she went to her heavenly home on July 15, 2026, from her earthly home in Chandler, AZ. She was very grateful to her husband and children who were very supportive during her illness.

Maureen spent her childhood in Detroit, West Seattle, and Aberdeen, WA, where she finished her pre-college education with honors in 1957 at Weatherwax High School. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree. While at PLU, she met Gerald (Jerry) Ritter in 1959 and after 2+ years of romance, they were married on August 19, 1961. She taught elementary school in Seattle and near Berkeley, CA while Jerry finished his degrees at the U of Washington and U of California. Their next move was to Richland, WA, in 1964 where Jerry started his career with the General Electric Company at Hanford. Richland would become their home for nearly 60 years, except for a two-year transfer to Idaho Falls from 1979-1981.

Maureen focused on raising her four children, Carolyn, Brian, Glenn and Michelle from 1963 through 1980 and being very active in their schools and extracurricular activities. She was a teacher, youth counselor and member of the council at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Richland for many years. Maureen began to work again in 1982 as a volunteer to manage the Bread & Butter program for seniors in Richland. Later she worked for Catholic Family and Child Services (CFCS) to manage its Volunteer Chore Service to help seniors remain at home. While at CFCS, she obtained a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Eastern Washington University in 1988. She then began work as a therapist at CFCS and Lutheran Social Services where she provided counseling services until she retired in 1999.

During the 27 retirement years until she became ill, she was very active in the Lord of Life Lutheran Church (LOLC) in Kennewick. She led the Mission team at LOLC for 12 years where she helped to organize Christmas tree sales as a fund raiser for mission trips around the US and the Dominican Republic. She also led two mission trips per year to Campbell Farm in

Wapato. She served on the board of directors for the Shalom Ecumenical Center (SEC), which developed apartments for low-income seniors and disabled adults in Richland, Kennewick and Colville. She also served on the boards of Tri-City Terraces I, II, and S that were developed by SEC. She and Jerry were presented with the Helen Wiseman Volunteer of the Year Award from Lutheran Community Services NW in 2023 in support of that agency for more than 30 years.

Maureen dedicated her life to her faith, her family, and serving people with various needs through her career and extensive volunteer work. Her friends and family remember her for being kind, generous, caring, smart, funny, and always welcoming – often sharing her homes in Richland and Cannon Beach. She was also a wonderful planner and organizer. She planned many events and celebrations with family and friends and her calendar was always full. Birthday cards were always on time and grandkids received special gifts on Valentine’s day and Halloween. She prioritized being present to celebrate with those she loved and had a way of making people feel seen and valued. She will be greatly missed by all those who loved her and had the privilege of knowing her.

Maureen was preceded in death by her parents, Alexander and Mary Agnes McAllister. She is survived by her beloved husband, Gerald (Jerry) Ritter, daughter Carolyn Tippit, son Brian Ritter (Kimberley Babb), son Glenn Ritter (Lisa), daughter Michelle Ritter (Matthew Provence), grandchildren Jacob Ritter, Kyle Tippit (Allison Snodgrass Tippit), Cole Tippit (Madison Harvey Tippit), Brady Ritter and Cassidy Ritter. She also has 5 great grandchildren: Alexander, Scarlett, Aurora, Caiden and Annie. She is also survived by her brother Alan McAllister (Arlene) and sister Pat Marrs (Tom).

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, loved ones and friends make donations to Lutheran Community Services NW or Tri-Cities Chaplaincy. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 pm on September 26, 2026, at Lord of Life Lutheran Church at 640 Columbia Center Blvd.