Maryanne Ritter passed peacefully in her sleep on Friday, December 9, 2022, after a decades long battle with cancer and its side effects. We are comforted knowing that she was in the bed she loved, in the house she loved in Gilbert, Arizona. She was 65 years old.
She is survived by her husband of over 43 years, John, children Matthew, Jennifer and Stephanie and grandchildren Elle, Daniel, Nolan and Cassie, her mother Casi and brother Christopher.
Maryanne earned her nursing degree at Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing in Glen Ridge, New Jersey and spent nearly thirty years caring for newborn babies at that same hospital.
She enjoyed spending summers at the New Jersey shore with her family and loved Hawaii as a vacation destination. She was a loving Meema to her grandchildren whom she adored and cherished every moment they were together.
She was a voracious reader and could spend hours outside in the Arizona heat reading and watching the quail and hummingbirds as they came into the yard to visit her.
Maryanne was an activist for the Carcinoid Cancer Awareness Network and over the past twenty years worked as an advocate for her own healthcare and quality of life, traveling the US and beyond for specialized care.
She left an enduring impact on all who met her – as a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. We know that all who knew her and loved her will miss her dearly.
A service for family and friends will be held on January 20, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Gilbert Memorial Park, 2100 East Queen Creek Road, Gilbert, AZ 85297. A Celebration of Life Memorial will follow on March 29, 2023, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm at The Tides Estate, 1245 Belmont Ave, North Haledon, NJ 07508.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent in her memory to the Neuroendocrine Cancer Awareness Network, 3074 Brookchase Blvd, Fort Mill, SC, 29707.
Our sincerest sympathies for your loss.
We have only known Maryanne for a short time.
During that time a work relationship with John turned into a friendship with John and Maryanne.
Maryanne was one of the bravest/toughest women that we ever met. She faced her challenges with such determination you could not help but be impressed by her strength of character.
We always looked forward to our time with her. She will be missed!