James H. Ritchie passed away peacefully on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. He was born in Philadelphia on Jan. 27, 1938, the only child of the late Elmer and Catherine Ritchie.
A highly recruited, three sport athlete, Jim ultimately chose to play basketball at West Virginia University, where he helped lead the legendary 1959 team to the NCAA National Championship game. He graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. While at WVU, Jim was a member of Mountain and Sigma Nu Fraternity. Following graduation, Jim continued his basketball career in the Army, and served as first lieutenant ordinance division in Fort Knox, Ky.
In 1980, Jim returned to Morgantown, where he became part of the Mon Health family for over 30 years. In 1984, he met and married his wife, Beverly, and they moved to her hometown of Point Marion, Pa. Always civically minded, Jim served a term as mayor of Point Marion, Pa. and a member of the Point Marion Rotary. Jim’s love of basketball continued throughout his life, serving as a youth coach for his children, supervising the Morgantown Parks and Recreation summer youth basketball league and continuing to support his beloved Mountaineers. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
Surviving is his wife of 38 years, Beverly; his son, Jim Ritchie Jr. (Evelyn) and daughter Pamela Ritchie, both of Spartanburg, S.C.; stepchildren, Lynda Junir, of Lake Forest, Calif., Bob Hlodan, of Las Vegas, and Beth Corcoran, of Morgantown; and five grandchildren, Caroline Ritchie Stahl (Michael), Jimmy Ritchie III, Anna Grace Ritchie, Stefan Junir and Kayla Corcoran.
Friends will be received in the Richard R. Herod Funeral Home, 501 Morgantown St., Point Marion, Pa., from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5. A private family burial will be held in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the WVU Foundation at One Waterfront Place — 7th Floor, P.O. Box 1650 Morgantown, WV 26507-1650 or online at https://secure.give.wvu.edu/other with the designation for the WVU Basketball Men’s Legacy Fund (2W179).
Condolences:
www.herod-rishel.com
