Denise Claire Ritthaler

Denise Claire (Gardner) Ritthaler was born in Sacramento, California on November 6, 1941 to her proud parents, Marion (Dillon) Gardner and Ted Gardner. Denise grew up in Sacramento with her loving siblings: her sister, Janet (Gardner) Stinson, brother, Ted Gardner, and sister, Debbie (Gardner) Soto. She graduated from Bishop Armstrong High School with the Class of 1959. She went on to graduate from Sacramento State. In her senior year of high school, she was set up on a blind date with a young man named Jerry Ritthaler. They fell in love and later married. They had three sons, Mike, Mark and Matt. Denise adored being a mother. Her boys were her whole world, from the moment they were born. She dedicated herself as a doting mother, keeping the most detailed baby books. She volunteered as Room Mom at school, Team Mom for sports, and even acted as head of umpires for their baseball park. Her boys loved sports; therefore, she loved sports. She kept up with every team they liked from youth to adulthoodwhich if you know the Ritthaler boys, that is a full time job. Jerry and Denise later divorced, but they developed a nice friendship throughout the years, always putting their children first. Denise also had a close bond with her sister-in-law Phyllis and her family, as well as her sister-in-law, Margitta. Denise worked for the State of California, Employment Development Department, until she retired. She enjoyed many hobbies during retirement. She loved reading, knitting, playing bridge and even took a writing class a few years ago. She loved a good steak and was never far from a soda. TAB in the early days, then Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. She was a huge fan of CNN. She was always up to date on world events and politics. During these last few years, Denise has enjoyed the company of her friend Everett. She and Everett enjoyed dining together, watching TV and spending time together. We are so grateful to Everett for the companionship he shared with her. Family was the most important thing in Denise's life. She looked forward to every family gathering with the Dillon's and Gardner's, and her sisters and brother, her nieces and nephews, and great nieces. Her niece Julie provided many evenings of entertainment and enjoyment for Denise, with the many plays and musicals she performed in and produced. Denise truly cherished every invitation she received and every moment she spent with her loving and supportive family. She treasured her time with her sons, daughter-in-laws and grandchildren. She loved us with her whole heart and beamed with pride at every accomplishment. She could not get enough time or information about her grandchildren's activities. Katie, Daniel, Matthew and Riley were truly blessed to have her love. We all were. Denise will be missed by her three sons, Mike, Mark and Matt Ritthaler, as well as their wives Sarah (former), Mary Beth and Kim; grandchildren, Katie, Daniel, Matthew and Riley; her sisters, Janet Stinson and Debbie (Steve) Soto, her brother, Ted Gardner, her sister-in-laws Phyllis (Scott) Keilholtz and Margitta Gardner, and her loving nieces and nephews: Karen, Eric, Kirk, Julie, and Erik, and great nieces, Abby and Sarah. She is also survived by her loving Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Norm Dolinar, numerous Dillon and Gardner family cousins and her dear friends Donna and Denny Messner. A Memorial Celebration of Denise's life was held at W.F. Gormley & Sons Chapel, 2015 Capitol Avenue, on Monday, April 21, 2014 at 10:00am. A reception followed the service at the home of Denny and Donna Messner. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes for donations or contributions to be made in her memory to either the National Alliance on Mental Illness. If you wish to send a card to the family please use the appropriate link above. Also, any story or memory you have of Denise please share in the guestbook.