Kelsey Lou Ritscher

KEYSTONE: Kelsey (Hartkemeyer) Ritscher, 63, of Keystone, passed away on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at her rural Keystone home, surrounded by her loving family.
Memorial services will be held at 10:30 AM, Saturday, January 11, 2025 at St. John Lutheran Church in Keystone, with Pastor Josiah Schultz officiating. Interment will be held at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, in Blairstown followed by a reception at the church. Visitation will be held from 4:00 until 7:00 PM, Friday, January 10, 2025, also at the church in Keystone. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to "Swaddling Clothes" through St. John Lutheran Church in Keystone.
Kelsey was born on September 26, 1961, in Cedar Rapids, the daughter of Harold and Marjorie (Vogt) Hartkemeyer. She graduated from Benton Community High School with the class of 1980, where she excelled in track & field. She furthered her education at Ellsworth Community College and received her degree in Human Services. On September 18, 1982, she was united in marriage to Wayne Ritscher at Grace Lutheran Church in Blairstown.
Wayne and Kelsey farmed together throughout their married life. Kelsey enjoyed making meals for the field crews. She was a long time member of the Benton County Pork Producers. Faith and family were a big part of Kelsey's life. She served on the board of Central Lutheran School, and helped to found Swaddling Clothes a charity to help new parents with clothing and furnishings for their newborns. She coached track & field for many years at Benton Community and one of her proudest moments was watching her daughters, Lacey and Ellie, compete at the State Track Meet. Kelsey organized many family trips with her girls and later the grandchildren. Watching them play was a great joy, and she always seemed to find an antique store in their travels. She volunteered for many organizations, and especially enjoyed helping with Toys for Tots during the holiday season.
She is survived by her husband Wayne, daughters, Lacey (Kyle) Lefere of Royal Oak, MI, Ellie (Clay) Paciorek of Ames; 4 grandchildren, Davis and Ada Mae Paciorek, Louis and Elsey "Jo" Lefere; brothers, Keith (Sheri) Hartkemeyer of Elberon, Kevin (Reyne) Hartkemeyer of Sunrise Beach, MO; her aunts, Marlis Davis, Marce (Terry) Miller, Loretta Vogt; uncle, Darwin (Linda) Vogt; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
The family wishes to thank University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Compassus Hospice, the Keystone Care Center, Pastor Schultz and their many friends for their love and support during Kelsey's illness.
She is so loved and will be dearly missed by all that knew her.
Online Condolences: www.phillipsfuneralhomes.com