David Sewell Ritchie

On the afternoon of May 16, 2016, David Ritchie passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully of natural causes. David was 55 years old.

He was born December 30, 1960, in Jackson, Kentucky and moved several times before settling in Fishers, Indiana. He was the first child of Martha and John Ritchie, Sr. He worked for the Department of Defense as a Labor Inspector before retiring. Since then he has worked in several part time positions including Fry’s Electronics where he was employed at the time of his death.

David Ritchie is survived by his wife, Stephanie; daughters Elsie (Stecker), Hope (Jensen), Leslie; son, Martin (Paves); father, John Ritchie, Sr.; brothers, John Jr., Joey, Thomas, Edward; and sister, Terri (Perez).

He is preceded in death by his Mother, Martha Duke (Seth).

David loved the Lord—above all. He wore a cross around his neck to share his love for God with others, something he did often and with great passion. He was an active member of White River Christian Church. And, he absolutely loved pictures of Jesus. Can you imagine…now he’s looking at Jesus face-to-face! David would tell you that there would be no greater tribute you could pay him then to one day join him in heaven.

He was a mischievous child, hyper and full of energy. Once, while a family member was repairing the roof, little David took away the ladder and told him it would cost him a dollar to bring it back. He got his dollar, which he quickly spent on ice cream at the corner store.

He grew up in a large family, which is most likely the reason family was so important to him. David always talked about the picnics he experienced as a child—and all of the food. He loved food! Family was his first priority in life.

Beyond family, he simply loved helping people. He seemed to be drawn to opportunities to help others. Whether it was changing a stranger’s tire, helping friends move from one house to another, sharing his vast array of fishing knowledge to everyone he met, down to the little random acts of kindness that he performed daily, David had a heart for helping others.

He was very much a people person. He was a skilled communicator in both the hearing and Deaf communities. He was able to connect with every one, regardless of the person’s ability to sign or not.

David was an avid fisherman who loved sharing his sport as much as participating in it. If you called him with a question about a lake, he’d be right over to take you to the lake and point out the best spots. If you had questions about a lure, he wouldn’t just merely give an answer, he’d accompany you to the store, where you would receive a lesson on lures.

He was a shrewd negotiator. One time, he saw a jon boat for sale in a person’s yard for $700. He called the seller and tried to negotiate for $500; however, the seller was unwilling to budge. That didn’t discourage David. He simply met the owner in person and began laying five, $100 bills on the boat—one at a time—knowing it’s difficult to resist cash. This tactic served him well over the years.

David had a passion for deaf children—he wanted them to have opportunities he didn’t have as a young deaf boy. He sought to create a place where deaf children could play together, learn together and experience the benefits of community through sports. This passion led him to establish the Deaf youth sports program at the Fishers YMCA and his most recent organization, DR Basketball Development Group.

Everyone who remembers him is asked to celebrate David’s life by sharing a personal story on this site for all to read.

And, remembering his passion for helping others, David would hope that you perform an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness in his memory.