Merion Manning (Ferris) Ritter died peacefully at home in Lexington on December 19, 2015 after 101 very full years. She was born on August 25, 1914 in Brooklyn, NY. After moving around several times with her family, when she was six they moved to Manchester, CT, which was her mother's home town. She grew up there and then went to Connecticut College where she earned a bachelor's degree in Chemistry – a rare major for women at that time. In June 2015 she attended her 80th Reunion! She would like to have become a doctor but the Depression was still on and there was no money for it so she worked in Hartford for a couple years before moving to Washington, DC and ultimately working for the Navy. While there she met and married Julius Ritter, a welding engineer for the Navy. They moved to Lexington, MA in 1949. She had been married to Julius for 60 years when he passed away in 2002.
Merion loved her family passionately. She was also pre-deceased by two brothers, Chester and Walter Ferris. She is survived by her one daughter, Ruth Ladd, and her husband, Larry, of Lexington; four grandchildren: Lowell Ladd of West Chester, PA, Robin Greenberg of Wakefield, Stacey Mulholland of Chelmsford, and Aaron Ladd of Waltham; four great-grandchildren; her brother, Elmore Ferris of Cle Elum, WA; and her sister, Faye Ferris of Manchester, CT. She was also very proud of her roots, particularly the Manning family which owns the Manning Manse in Billerica where she annually attended the family reunion of descendants of William Manning from the 1600s.
After Ruth's arrival, Merion became a full-time volunteer. She became very involved in Camp Fire Girls as a group leader and in the area leadership; helped start the school library at Fiske School in Lexington and a library at the VA Hospital in Bedford; was the Chairman of Volunteers for the Lexington Chapter of the American Red Cross; served as an adult advisor for the Rainbow Girls; was a founder of and very active in the Lexington Chapter of AARP for 40 years, including several years as President; helped establish the Lexington Council on Aging as part of her work with AARP; was active with Hancock Church including years of editing the church newsletter, teaching Sunday School, and serving on several committees; organized and coordinated a Senior Penpal project between three of the town's elementary schools' 4th grade classes and senior citizens for about three decades; was a charter and life member of the Bedford-Lexington Area Branch of AAUW; helped start the Weekday Nursery School at Hancock Church; and served as a "phone FISH (Friendly Independent Sympathetic Help)" well into her 90s. Merion's quiet dedication to the community over six decades was never flashy but was always intense and exemplified her love of Lexington and the people in it. In addition, she and her husband spent over 25 winters at the Hawks Nest, a condo in Marathon, FL, where she served on the board of directors for many years and made friends from all over North America.
She also enjoyed gardening, reading, and delivering the Boston Globe with her grandkids for ten years into her 80s. What she didn't like was housework! She felt doing things for others was more important.
To honor Merion's memory in lieu of flowers, we suggest donations to Hancock United Church of Christ, Congregational), 1912 Mass Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421 or Connecticut College, 270 Mohegan Avenue, New London, CT 06320.
A memorial service to celebrate Merion's life will be held at Hancock Church on January 2 at 2:00 pm and will be followed by a reception.