July 26, 1928 - March 2, 2021
Ed was the fourth of seven children born to Olga and Gus Ritzen in Claresholm, Alberta. While growing up in the era of the Great Depression and World War II was not easy, the challenges faced by Ed and his family during his early years were the genesis of his lifelong commitment to family, honesty, integrity, hard work and education.
Ed married the love of his life, Mary (nee Kuban), in 1951 and remained totally devoted to her throughout their almost 70 years of marriage. He is survived by Mary and their children - Deb (Noel) Charchuk, Doug (Barb), and Jeff (Marisa) - grandchildren Tori (Rob), Andrew (Marie), Lexie, Ted, Laura (Tyler), Janina (Jason) and Benjamin and great-grandchildren, Owen, Sylvie, Cale, Billie, Raf and Parker.
He was predeceased by his siblings Jimmy, Florence, Bill and Lillian and is survived by Alex (Jean) and Dorothy, as well as by many nieces and nephews.
Family was paramount to Ed. He enjoyed every moment with them, playing games, doing jigsaw puzzles, and sharing stories.
Ed was a banker who worked for many years with the CIBC and then with the ATB. His work took him and his family to several cities and towns in Alberta, including Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Mundare and Vermilion.
As a bank auditor in the latter part of his career, he loved sitting quietly in an office, sipping his coffee and scouring the books to ensure that everything was in order. Ed willingly shared his time and his expertise with many volunteer organizations on which he served as Treasurer. With Ed in charge, no-one had to worry about what was happening with the money.
Ed and Mary retired to Qualicum Beach to escape the Alberta winters. He thoroughly enjoyed the many new friends he made there, playing golf and lawn bowling, gardening, and walking ...especially along the waterfront.
Ed lived a full and happy life. His family will miss his unconditional love, guidance, teasing and ability to make us laugh. We each have wonderful memories of this special person who touched all of us in so many ways.
The family thanks the doctors, nurses, and support staff at the Nanaimo Hospital for their compassion and care of Ed during the final weeks of his life.
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Yates Memorial Services