James Ritchie

1938 - 2017

James Timothy Ritchie, age 79, of Chicago and Chesterton, IN, died on Monday, August 14, 2017 at the hospice unit of the Rush Medical Center in Chicago. Tim was born on March 23, 1938 in St. Paul, MN to Dr. Wallace P. Ritchie and Alice Otis Ritchie. He graduated from the St. Paul Academy in 1956 and received his BA degree from Yale University in 1960 and his JD degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1963. He joined the Legal Department of the Northern Trust Bank in April 1964 and had a distinguished career spanning 34 years in tax law and estate planning. He became Trust Counsel in 1982 and Associate General Counsel in 1994. In 1997 he was awarded the Austin Fleming Distinguished Service Award by the Chicago Estate Planning Council for his significant contributions to estate planning practice. Tim also prided himself as a member of the chorus line in the Chicago Bar Association annual Bar Show for many years. Tim had a passion for the natural environment and especially lakeshore protection and preservation, reinforced by his residence at Dune Acres in Chesterton, IN on the shores of Lake Michigan and his beloved summer cabin on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. Following his retirement from the Northern Trust in 1998, he joined the Board of Openlands, the noted Chicago area organization dedicated to protecting the natural and open spaces of the region. He retired as Vice Board Chair after almost 20 years on the Board. He also served nine years on the Board of the Nature Conservancy of Indiana. His colleagues at both organizations praised his passion, energy, wisdom, kindness, humor, and generosity. Tim loved travel, opera, reading, hiking, golf and the daily crossword puzzle of multiple newspapers. He was a patron of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Santa Fe Opera and the Chicago Symphony. He was preceded in death by his parents and his partner of 45 years Richard Brannan. He is survived by his brothers Dr. Wallace P. Ritchie, Jr. of Minneapolis, MN and Daniel G. Ritchie and sister-in-law Alicia S. Ritchie of Washington, DC, five nephews and nieces and seven grand-nephews and nieces. A gathering of remembrance will be held from 6pm to 8pm on October 16, 2017 at the University Club of Chicago, 76 E. Monroe St.., Chicago, IL. Contributions in Tim's name may be made to Openlands, www.openlands.org, The Nature Conservancy of Indiana, www.nature.org/Indiana, or another environmental organization of your choice. Arrangements by CENTRAL CHAPEL, Downtown Chicago. Info., 773-581-9000 or 312-944-6060.