Annita Hartsell Ritchie, age 85, passed away at the Hendrick Hospice Care Center on April 21, 2025. She was born on July 24, 1939 in Vivian, Louisiana and was the youngest of two children.
As the daughter of a roughnecker during the oil boom of the mid-twentieth century, most of Annita’s youth was spent moving from community to community throughout Louisiana and Texas. Her father was a union representative for oil field workers, and from a young age, she often assisted her father in preparing correspondence and other documents related to his representation of his co-workers. Annita was also heavily involved in school-related extra-curricular activities, and was a cheerleader at Edna High School.
Annita obtained an undergraduate degree at Abilene Christian University. She was a prominent figure on campus and a talented vocalist, participating in the Acapella Chorus, musical theatre, and social clubs. While attending ACU, Annita met Eris Alton Ritchie, whom she later married on July 29, 1960.
