Herbert L. Ritland (1913-2008)

RITLAND, TORESDAHL, HOUGE, WOODS, PETERS

Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 2/29/2008 at 08:44:10

THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Thursday, February 28, 2008.

March 26, 1913-Feb. 26, 2008

Herbert L. Ritland, 94, of Ames, died Tuesday, Feb. 26. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 1, at Memorial Lutheran Church in Ames, with Pastor Mark Heilman officiating. Burial will be in Bethlehem Cemetery in Slater.

Herbert Lawrence Ritland was born March 26, 1913, in rural Cambridge, the son of Lars O. and Hannah (Toresdahl) Ritland. He graduated from Huxley High School in 1931, earned a bachelor's degree from Luther College in 1935 and a master's degree in educational administration from the University of Iowa in 1940. He married Letta Houge Aug. 14, 1938, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Slater.

He taught school in Luana, was coach and principal in the Hubbard and Ackley schools, and served as superintendent in McCallsburg and Dallas Center. His last 20 years were as math and science instructor in the Ames Community Schools. After he retired in 1978, he served on the board of education for Des Moines Area Community College from 1980-86.

In addition to his career in education, throughout most of his adult life he enjoyed actively farming the family farm near Huxley during the summers and on Saturdays and evenings in the spring and fall.

Before entering military service, he taught radar in civil service to the personnel of the U.S. Air Force in Boca Raton, Fla. Later, he was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Navy. He served on the C.L. 86 Vicksburg in the Pacific theater and witnessed the raising of the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima. He later took part in the Okinawa campaign.

He is survived by his wife, Letta; three sons, Steven (Nancy), of Rochester, Minn., Craig (Jenny), of Waterloo, and John (Susan), of Kirkwood, Mo.; 14 grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; and other family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, Lloyd, Everett, Charles and Donald; and two sisters, Mildred Woods and Vivian Peters.

Adams Funeral Home and Cremation Service is in charge of arrangements.

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