Miram James Ritchie

Miram James Ritchie, known to his friends as simply Ritchie, passed away on January 14, 2018 at the age of 93 years.

Ritchie is survived by his two children, daughter Virginia Rheinheimer (Roger) and son, Michael Ritchie (Pam), grandson Garrett Ritchie and close friend, Virginia Garrod.

Born in Ropesville, Texas, and raised in East Texas, Ritchie was a WWII veteran, aviator, devoted father and friend. The day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he and his brother joined the Army, where he quickly realized his passion for airplanes. He embraced every opportunity to learn as much as he could about them. He transferred to the Army Air Corp. and became crew chief on the B-29’s and a B-29 prop specialist. He eventually moved into the classroom teaching other mechanics and supervising other aircraft instructors.

After retiring from the military, his next career was with American Airlines in Fort Worth, Texas teaching the systems of the Boeing 747 and the DC-10 to the flight crew of American Airlines and other airlines. He enjoyed his time in the classroom and the simulator working with pilots from all over the world.

A passionate pilot, if he was not flying his Navion, one could find him either helping someone at the airport with an engine problem or playing cards with friends in a hangar. At the age of 82, he decided it was time to stop flying, sold his plane and relocated to Sequim from Dallas to be near his daughter and son-in-law.

At Ritchie’s request, there will be no service.