Otis Doyle Ritch – Choctaw Native Author and Artist – He Go Now!

A man of many beautiful inspirational words. He has gone to be with the Great Spirit Now.

Otis Doyle Ritch was born May 5, 1942 in Stigler, Oklahoma to parents Earl Ritch (d. 1973) and Louise Johnson Ritch (Lafave) (d. 2010). He Go Now on November 27, 2024.

In addition to his love of writing he had many loves in his life, including his family:

His daughters:

Donna Ritch Barnes (d 2011)

Theresa Ritch Martin and husband, Howard Randy Martin, of Stigler, OK

Christina Ritch Claypool and husband, Darrell Claypool and grandsons Neil Everett Claypool and Jonathan Alexander Claypool of Oklahoma.

His grandchildren:

Howard Randy Martin II (d 2005) and great granddaughter Dominique; AmberDetje Martin and great granddaughter Emily Sloan and great grandson Ayden Sloan of Arizona.

His son:

Shannon Ritch and grandson Zachry Holbrook Ritch of Arizona

He was the third eldest child in his family and was close to his siblings. In order: Wanda Ritch Bond (d. 2020); Wynema Trundle Gilbert-Balcom; Towanna Ritch Kerklin; and David Ritch. He was proud of all his nieces and nephews and their children.

He left Stigler in 1944 and grew up in Arizona, attended Florence High School and played on the varsity football team. At 17 he joined the Navy June 9, 1959. He served 1 year 3 months and 10 days at sea at Pearl Harbor Hawaii and San Diego. He served on the USS Edson which is now a Museum Ship at Saginaw, Michigan. He joined as a cook. He had spent some time living on his own and had known hunger. He never wanted to be hungry again. He peeled a lot of potatoes on the ship but he never went hungry again. He became an excellent cook and even made a cookbook.

He was honorably discharged January 6, 1961. His father Earl Ritch was the Pinal County Gin superintendent and Otis got on as a ranch foreman overseeing a Cotton and Citrus Tree farm. Around 1970 he took advantage of training through the VA and became a certified welder. He worked briefly in that field but farming and welding in the desert was too hot. He began his life in sales. He primarily sold, many times door to door, sewing machines and vacuums. He lived, worked and traveled from California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to settle once again in Stigler, Oklahoma. He had many loves in his life. They are all exceptional and fine women, many he remained friends throughout his life!

In 1978 his artist life began in leather sculpture and as a custom bootmaker. By 1987 he began receiving notice of his wonderful works of art.

He also began writing. It would be 2004 before his first book “Where Eagles Soar” was published. In August 2011 he released his final book of the Skyhawk Series “Awaken the Bear”, returning to Stigler in 2012 for an Authors Afternoon at the Stigler Public Library and JOM night at Stigler Elementary School.

He was never happier than when sharing his books. He enjoyed his last days sharing his books with new friends and caregivers and that made him very happy.

He returned to Stigler in August 2015. He was the first one to live at the Choctaw Elder Housing, living in the first new home he had ever lived in.

For many years his article “Thought for the Week” has been published in the Stigler News Sentinel. We pray his words live on as his spirit is deeply woven into the pages and articles he wrote and hope his memory will continue to inspire, uplift, and remind us all of the enduring bond between us all.

This “Celebration of Life’ is in his own words. May all those who loved him, who knew him and were inspired by him take comfort and rejoice for him.

Celebration of Life

Written by Otis D. Ritch

We have come here for a celebration of life and a remembrance of one who has started his Universe career. Before anything was, The Great Spirit stood alone. He spoke the word and that word was love. Through love everything that is came into existence. It is through love that everything is sustained.

When The Great Spirit created mankind he brought forth his Earth Children whereby he could experience with them as they walked their path on the great circle. Everything has a season in the great circle of life and each child that comes into the world has a season to learn what they must learn through their experience while they are here.

The Great Spirit sends a fragment of his spirit to indwell each of our minds and if we will only follow his leading he will lead us onto the path of truth, beauty, and goodness. When our season of time here is at an end we lay aside the earth body and The Great Spirit takes us to our new worlds in the great beyond to continue learning ever higher truths as we travel through an eternity of ever more exciting adventure.

Our loved one has left this world behind and is even now on a New World where there is no pain or hardship. This is not a time of sadness, but rather it is a time for great rejoicing for one who has gone on before us and who will be waiting to greet us when we land on the shore of the new world when our season of learning here is done.

All here today should remember the love and compassion our friend had for everyone he met. We should remember his goodness and mercy, the radiance of beauty that exuded from his soul and caused his aura to glow with love. He walked a path in his life here ever humble before The Great Spirit as he stood tall and proud before his fellow man.

His time of travails on this world has ended and now it is the time he takes up his Universe career of higher learning on the path of truth, beauty, and goodness that ever leads to the final abode of The Great Spirit. The season of his work here is done and now the season of rest and rejoicing for him has started.

As we go forth from here today let us rejoice with him and for him as he starts upon his great Universe journey. Let us remember his goodness and all the great things that he brought into our lives. He lived a life here of loving goodness and left an abundance of loving memories to sustain us until we meet him again on the worlds in the great beyond. His spirit is with us today urging us to rejoice and be exceedingly glad that he has started his journey and his peace he gives to us all.