John Arthur Ritschel Jr.

John Ritschel, who most of you know as Jack, 89, of California, passed away peacefully at home on November 7, 2020 .  He was born in 1931 in Peoria, Illinois. Jack graduated from High School from Spalding Institute in 1949 and received his BA in Speech from the University of Iowa in 1953. Jack is survived by his Daughter, Susan Boring and her Husband Steve; Sister Mary Ann (Susie) Burton; Stepdaughter Jennifer Friedman; Granddaughter Dawn Schmidt and her husband Randy; Grandson Eric VanLandingham and his wife Carinn; Grandchildren Amelia, Neal, Breanne, Sophie and Jaxon VanLandingham; and Nieces, Michelle Grant, Becky Inghelterra, Kris Gladson, Georgi Behrends, Mary Childers, Amy Carter, and Trudy Shallenberger.   

Jack was a man of many talents. He is known for being an amazing stage and screen actor with a fantastic voice.  He began his career at the college radio station (WSUI). He played the leading man in many plays throughout his career.  His most memorable roles were Daddy Warbucks in “ANNIE”, Horace Vandergelder in “HELLO DOLLY” and Gerard Carriere in “PHANTOM (YESTON/KOPIT)”. 

JACK RITSCHEL  appeared throughout the country, repeating productions of Hello, Dolly! (Vandergelder), Annie (Warbucks), Me & My Girl (Sir John), La Cage aux Folles (Dindon), Man of La Mancha (Governor/Innkeeper), Gigi (Honore), and many others. Along the way, he garnered 3 awards for his portrayal of Carriere in Phantom, as well as awards for Dr. Engel in Student Prince, Biggley in How to Succeed…, the Major General in Pirates and Max in Mirette.   He played Broadway in 7 Brides for 7 Brothers and had a major role in the world premiere of Chaplin at the L.A. Music Center.

Featured on Cheers, Murphy Brown, and Mad About You, Jack starred in several courtroom dramas and the children’s show Sing Me A Story. He appeared on L.A. Law, Unsolved Mysteries, and several episodes of Santa Barbara. He also did the movies Chaplin and The Taking of Beverly Hills; and was featured on several commercials. All the worlds a stage and the stage truly lost a legend.   Jack will  be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him. " You will forever be in our hearts dad and I love you Always."

 

In Loving Memory of my Wonderful Dad

 

He never looked for praises
He was never one to boast
He just went on quietly working
For the ones he loved the most.
 
His dreams were seldom spoken
His wants were very few
And most of the time his worries
Went unspoken too.
 
He was there….A firm foundation
Through all my storms of life
A sturdy hand to hold on to
In times of stress and strife.
 
A true friend I could turn to
When times were good or bad
One of my greatest blessings
The man that I called Dad.

 

The Day God Took you Home

 

A Million times 
I've needed you
A million times I've cried,
If love alone
Could have saved you
You never would have died.
In life I loved you dearly;
In death I love you still.
In my heart you hold a space,
Where no one can ever fill.
It broke my heart to lose you,
But you didn't go alone
Part of me went with you,
The day god took you home.

 

 

In lieu of flowers, the family would love as many memories and stories of John (Jack) as you all are willing to share.  You can also post pictures.  It would mean the world to the family to be able to share all of the wonderful memories with generations to come.  If you have a memory or a story or condolence to share please click on the view or sign guest book and post one to John's memory page, it can be as long or as short as you would like.  Feel free to post multiple memories as this can be very helpful in the healing process.    If you have any personal stories you would like to share with the family that you do not want to be public, Susan, (Daughter of Jack) would love to read them via email, her email address is gwamasusan@gmail.com.