Ernst Frederick "Ernie" Ritz^[1]

1925 - 2024  (99 years)

• Name	Ernst Frederick "Ernie" Ritz
  Born	1925	New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Gender	Male
  Military	1943
  	WW2 - Aircrew Navigator and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force
  Elected Office	1971	New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Reeve/Mayor
  Elected Office	1973	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Mayor
  FindAGrave	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/267129243
  Interesting	honoured, news, politics
  Public Service	2010	Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation member
  Name	Ernie Ritz
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-156979
  Died	13 Mar 2024	New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Buried	Riverside Cemetery, New Hamburg, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I156979	Generations
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Otto Albert Ritz,   b. 4 Dec 1893, New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 7 Jan 1928, New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 34 years)
  Mother	Elena Ernst Betzner,   b. 8 Aug 1893, Baden, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 19 Jun 2000, New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 106 years)
  Married	21 Oct 1920  [2]
  Family ID	F5381	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Betty Murray,   b. 19 Dec 1925,   d. 2 Jun 2012, New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 86 years)
  Children	1. Bill Ritz   2. John Ritz
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F44988	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Ernie Ritz was born in New Hamburg in 1925. He trained as an Aircrew Navigator and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1943 to 1945. Ernie spent his professional career in the printing and publishing industry. He was employed at the Kitchener-Waterloo Record from 1947 to 1950 and was co-owner and editor of the New Hamburg Independent from 1950 to 1966. In 1966, Ernie became President of Ritz Printing Incorporated and remained there until he retired in 1990. Ernie served his community for 50 years in appointed and elected municipal positions. He served on the New Hamburg Planning Board from 1948 to 1972. He was first elected to the New Hamburg Village Council at the age of 24 in 1950 and was the last Mayor of the Town in 1971 to 1972. Ernie then was Mayor of Wilmot Township from 1973 to 1978. As Mayor of Wilmot Township, Ernie was a member of the first Waterloo Regional Council, serving as Chair of the Regional Planning Committee and the Regional Engineering Committee. Ernie also served as member of 3 different Hydro Commissions: New Hamburg, Baden and Kitchener-Wilmot. He was a provincial appointee to the Waterloo Regional Police Commission from 1979 to 1985 and was Chair in 1986. Ernie also served on the Grand River Conservation Authority. Ernie has been very active in the preservation of local history. He served on the Board of Directors of the Waterloo Historical Society for 10 years, and was President of the society in 1990 to 1991. He also served on Wilmot Township Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee from 1985 to 1997 and was Vice-Chairman of the Wilmot Township Archives Committee. In 2003, he authored the comprehensive history of New Hamburg. In 1997, Ernie was inducted into the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame, which includes local pioneers, community builders and sports heroes. In 2005, he was awarded the Ontario Heritage Foundation's Certificate of Lifetime Achievement. Waterloo Region Archives _____________ Ernst Frederick (Ernie) Ritz 1925 \emdash 2024 Passed away at Nithview Home, New Hamburg on March 13, 2024, just a few weeks shy of his 99th birthday. He was well-known for his remarkable memory of decades of New Hamburg and area history, his dedication to local public service, his love of learning, and his warm and gregarious personality. He was born at New Hamburg April 5, 1925, son of the late Otto Ritz and Elena Betzner. He was married for over 65 years to his beloved wife and best friend, the former Betty Murray, who predeceased him in 2012. He served in the RCAF from 1943-45, training first as a pilot and then as navigator, with the war ending just as he completed his training. The Ritz family had been in the printing business since 1855, and after the war, he learned the printing trade in Toronto and Kitchener before returning to New Hamburg to join the family business in 1947, and became editor and publisher of the New Hamburg Independent. Following the sale of the newspaper in 1967, he continued with Ritz Printing with his sons until his retirement in 1990. He was devoted to his community, and was active in local public service for many decades. He was first elected to local municipal council in 1949 at the age of 24, beginning a long connection and serving on public boards and commissions, including several hydro commissions, the Grand River Conservation Authority, and in the promotion and building of the New Hamburg Arena and Community Centre. He was a member of the New Hamburg Board of Trade for over 70 years. He was the last Mayor of New Hamburg and the first Mayor of Wilmot Township when Regional Government was begun in 1973, chairing several major committees during the formation of the new form of government. In 1979 he was appointed by the Province to serve on the Waterloo Regional Police Service Board for four terms and was Chair of that body in 1986. He was a founding and charter member of the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, provided leadership in the planning and construction of the present Legion Branch Building, and was honoured with a Life Membership in 2008; he was the last surviving member of the original founding group of 34 local Legion members. He has long been recognized as an expert in local history, and he played leadership roles in the Waterloo Historical Society and in the establishment of a local Heritage Conservation District. As a member of the Ontario Genealogy Society, he was frequently sought as a resource person by many who sought local facts pertaining to their family histories. Ironically, his interest in history began after failing a high school history test, when his principal told him that if he found history boring that he should "try writing it as he would like to read it, make it come alive" \endash this ultimately culminated in his publication of a volume of local history, "New Hamburg As It Really Was", in 2003. He has been recognized for his contributions by a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ontario Heritage Society, a Waterloo Regional Heritage Award, was inducted into the Waterloo County Hall of Fame in 1997, and honoured with a Queen's Jubilee Medal in 2012. Ernie was an avid reader and had thirst for knowledge throughout his life. He was articulate, and well-informed across a wide range of topics, and people were often surprised to learn that he had left formal schooling at the age of 16. He particularly was passionate about astronomy and was most knowledgeable about matters pertaining to the skies and universe, and loved meteorology. He was an avid computer and internet user in his later years, and continued to write a weekly local newspaper column until he was 97 \endash indeed, he may have been Canada's oldest weekly columnist. He is lovingly remembered by his children Bill and John, along with their wives Kathryn and Betty. He was the proud grandfather of Stacey (Scott), Marcia (Chris, predeceased), Joe (Jen), and Jake (Kate), Betty's sons Brock (Sharon) and Travis (Laura), and great-grandfather to Liam, Braylon, and Emily. He is fondly remembered by sisters-in-law Betty Murray and Gywin Murray, cousin Shirley Unrau, many beloved nieces and nephews in the Ritz-Murray clans, along with Gladys Kropf, Dianne Ritz, Marie Voisin, many cherished friends and collaborators, and the caring staff at Nithview. According to his wishes, cremation has taken place. Visitation will take place at the Jutzi Funeral Home on Saturday, March 16 from 1 to 4pm. A memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, New Hamburg on what would have been his 99th birthday, Friday, April 5 at 1pm followed by a reception at the New Hamburg Legion. In his memory, donations may be made to the Trinity Endowment Fund, Canadian Lutheran World Relief, or Wilmot Family Resource Centre. Personal condolences and donation information available at www.markjutzifuneralhomes.ca

  
  

• Sources

  [S602] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - The Waterloo Region Record (March 2008- ), Obituary of Betty Ritz - 2 Jun 2012. [S73] Funeral Service Bulletin, Elena E. Ritz.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1925 - New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Elected Office - Reeve/Mayor - 1971 - New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Elected Office - Mayor - 1973 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Public Service - Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation member - 2010 - Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 13 Mar 2024 - New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Riverside Cemetery, New Hamburg, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth