Obituary of Vernie Lee Ritchie

Vernie Lee Ritchie was born November 8, 1919, the 7th of 12 children in Bardstown KY. When he turned 18, he went to work at Tom Moore Distillery. He joined the National Guard in 1939, and was called to active duty in 1941. He carried out his duties in Curacao Island and Aberdeen, Maryland where he later met his wife, Christine. They were married June 23, 1945. In 1952 he was deployed to Austria, along with his wife, where he remained for 3 years. In 1959 he was relocated to Alaska, there his wife began studying the Bible. She was later baptized in the year 1960. He was later discharged from the military in 1962, and returned to his family home in KY. Shortly thereafter he was baptized in a farm pond, May of 1962. Later in his life, while living in Louisville KY, he discovered another passion – Painting. For nearly 2 decades after that, while being the primary caregiver for his wife, his painting helped him to maintain his joy. In the year 1999, when his beloved wife, Chris fell asleep in death, his love for Jehovah was reinvigorated. It was at that time he began attending, and became a mainstay at the Mount Juliet Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. From that point forward, he became known for his deep love and affection for his family and friends. His enthusiasm for his ministry and his joy studying the Bible with others became his hallmark. His Bible based hope of living forever on a paradise earth and welcoming back dead loved ones were things he shared with all he met. When physical limitations caught up with Vernie, he replaced knocking on doors, with writing letters and making personal phone calls in his ministry. Until his death, Vernie continued to show his love for Jehovah and to all those to whom he preached. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him. However these feelings will be short lived as we look forward to welcoming back our dear brother here on the earth in the very near future as a young, healthy, artistic Servant of Jehovah, just around the corner. Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 12pm at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1100 Woodridge Place, Mt. Juliet, TN. Arrangements by Sellars Funeral Home at Mt. Juliet, 2229 N. Mt. Juliet Road, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122, 615-758-5459, obituary line 615-758-8818, www.sellarsfuneralservices.com