Cathie St. John-Ritzen
Cathie St. John-Ritzen, 68, of Asheville, died Thursday, November 7, 2013, at Mission Memorial Hospital from injuries received in a fall at her home.
Born December 29, 1944, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, she lived in Missouri until 1999 when she and her husband, Jim Ritzen, moved to Asheville. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, she opened her elder law practice in Asheville in 2001.
Prior to entering the legal profession, she was a registered nurse providing bedside care and holding several administrative positions in the profession. She was a 1966 graduate of Barnes Hospital School of Nursing (Washington University in St. Louis). She also taught in the English department at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she received her bachelor’s degree in 1986, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.
In addition to her private law practice, she served as Buncombe County Public Administrator from 2001 until her death. She served on the executive committee of the Buncombe County 28th Judicial District Bar from 2007-2010, chaired the education committee of the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys in 2007, and served on the board of the state chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. She volunteered on Pisgah Legal Service’s hotline and its Mountain Area Volunteer Lawyers elder law team.
Her community involvement included the executive committee of the Buncombe County Council on Aging, the executive committee of the Vanderbilt Apartments, the Buncombe County Women’s Commission, and the League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County. For several years she taught law-related courses in the College for Seniors program of the Osher Lifelong Learning Center at UNC Asheville and was a frequent program presenter for various community organizations.
In addition to her husband of 42 years, she is survived by her sister Sidney St. John-Guida (Phil Guida) of Candler, two nieces, two nephews, and special cousins Nick Waits (Claudia) of Lehighton, Pennsylvania, and Hank Waits (Barb) of Oviedo, Florida. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert St. John and Dorothy Waits St. John.
A Service of Remembrance and Celebration will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, November 23, at Jubilee! Community Church, 46 Wall Street, in Asheville, with the Rev. Howard Hanger and the Rev. Dr. J. Michael Hester officiating.
The family suggests memorials to: Jubilee! Community Church, 46 Wall St., Asheville, NC 28801 (www.jubileecommunity.org); the Partnership for Pastoral Counseling, PO Box 19796, Asheville, NC 28815 (www.ppcwnc.org); and Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, PO Box 8195, Asheville, NC 28814 (www.bwar.org).
