Harley Poston Ritchardson Jr.

Share your Memorial with Family & Friends Harley Poston Ritchardson Jr., known to his friends and family as Rich or Rick, passed away from cancer on February 28, 2025, in Merritt Island, FL. Rich was born in Chicago, IL, on September 1, 1944 to Harley Poston Ritchardson Sr. and Betty Rose Sherman. He was a Vietnam veteran, serving in the army in Cam Ranh Bay before returning to the States and being honorably discharged. While in Vietnam, he beat a local man at ping-pong who later turned out to be Viet Cong. He joked that this was his biggest contribution to the war effort. Back home, he worked in banking in Chicago before moving to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, where he went to work for Florida Power and Light for thirty-six years. Rich enjoyed waterskiing, and he was an avid tennis player throughout his adult life. He was passionate about the game and never missed watching a grand slam on TV. His motto in life was "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." In his later years, he was a member of the Vero Beach Power Squadron and the Treasure Coast Miata Club. He leaves behind his wife of forty-five years, Susie, and his daughter, Amanda. Also surviving him are his sister, Barbara George, his niece Amy, his nephews Rob and Bill, his cousins Ken and Bion Smalley, and his grandnephews and grandnieces. Internment at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery on March 6, 2025.