Lillian Ritter

Mass of Christian Burial for Lillian Ritter of Chokio will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Chokio with Fr. John Paul Knopik officiating. Visitation will be from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 23rd at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Chokio with a prayer service and memory sharing at 6:30 p.m. Visitation will continue Saturday at the church one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in the spring at St. Mary’s Cemetery rural Chokio.

Lillian Irene Leuthard was born on the farm homestead on March 2, 1925, the daughter of Thomas and Anna (Waldvogel) Leuthard. She was the middle child of 11 children, born prematurely and was carried on a pillow for weeks.

On March 3, 1943, she married Robert Ritter at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Chokio. The couple farmed north of Chokio before moving to the Leuthard family farm in the fall of 1950. When her mother died in 1950 at a young age from cancer, she was asked to raise her baby brother, Carl. Lillian was expecting her 4th child at the time. The couple retired from farming in 1984 and moved into Chokio.

After her youngest child started school, she began working at the Chokio-Alberta school cafeteria and worked there for 9 years. She then went to work at Grace Home in Graceville where the nuns put her through nursing school. She worked there for 12 and a half years.

She enjoyed pie, ice cream, candy, dancing in her 3-inch-high heel shoes, listening to Country music, writing letters to her friends and relatives, gardening and canning produce, planting different perennials, cooking and baking, helping on the farm with all the animals and clean and keep a presentable home. Most precious to her were all the times the entire family gathered together so she could cook and bake a and serve a fantastic meal.

Lillian passed away on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at Grace Home in Graceville, MN.

Lillian is survived by her children, Catherine (Tom) Kieffer of White Bear Lake, Robert Ritter of Coon Rapids, Clayton (Nancy) Ritter of Alberta, Michael (Renata) Ritter of Delano, Ann Longtin of Minnetonka, Mary (Michael) Stanton of Lino Lakes, Dorothy Raph of Delano, Patricia Wetteroff of White Bear Lake and Anthony (Jeri) Ritter of Chokio; 25 grandchildren; 39 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; brother, Carl (Jo) Leuthard of Zimmerman; sister-in-law, Virginia Ritter of Chokio and brother-in-law, Phillip Zimmerman of New Hope and many nieces and nephews..

Lillian was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Ritter (2002); parents, Thomas and Anna Leuthard; parents-in-law, Jerome and Ethel Ritter; granddaughter, Angel Ritter; daughter-in-law, Diane Ritter; son-in-law, Millard Raph; 2 brothers; 7 sisters; 3 brothers-in-law and 3 sisters-in-law.

The Pedersen Funeral Home in Morris is in care of the arrangements for Lillian.