Paul L Ritchey

It is with deep sadness, the family mourns the loss of Paul L. Ritchey (87) of Scotia/Glenville as a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease on April 29, 2022 at the Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville, New York where he passed peacefully.

Born September 17, 1934 in St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania, he lived his childhood in Emporium, PA. where his dad worked for Sylvania Corp. during WWII. When the war ended the family moved to Bayside, Long Island, NY, where his dad continued his employment with Sylvania on Wall St in NYC. In 1949 his parents decided to move to upstate NY to a small village of Scotia where they purchased the Scotia Cinema and his dad went to work for General Electric in Schenectady. Paul graduated high school in Scotia during which time he worked with his parents in numerous business enterprises. After high school, Paul attended the University of Pittsburgh and then returned home and attended Hudson Valley College.

While at loose ends on jobs, he was employed as a copy boy at the Schenectady Gazette Newspaper. The military draft caught up with him, and he ended up in the US Army Signal Corps in Germany from 1957 to 1959. Army pay in those days was very poor but his parents provided him with the means to visit many European countries including Austria where he enjoyed skiing, and all of the Scandinavian countries and Spain.

Returning from military service he was appointed Advertising Manager at Sears Roebuck in Schenectady. When Sears decided to build a new store at Colonie Center, they closed the Schenectady store and Paul was transferred to the new store. After a lengthy period, he was recruited by the Schenectady Gazette as a Display Advertising Rep and remained there for 35 years until retiring. Paul continued his deep love as a hunter and fisherman all of his adult life, and the passing recently of his good friend, Peter Fiorello Jr. really tore him up.

In November of 1963 Paul married Catherine (Plunz) Ritchey and together they continued to operate the theatre as an art house which featured foreign films. The theatre was sold in 1975.

Paul is survived by his caretaker/wife, Catherine, his beloved daughter Heidi Ritchey-Stembridge (Jim) of Ponce Inlet, Fla., a talented granddaughter, Heather Snedeker of Las Vegas, Nev. And his attentive and helpful brother-in-law Robert S. Plunz of Colonie, NY, and supportive brother-in-law Richard Plunz (Maria Paola) of NYC, and his special niece, Sarah Plunz of Brattleboro, Vt.

Memorial services to which relatives and friends are invited will be held 9:30 a.m., Monday morning May 16, 2022 at the Bekkering-Ellis Funeral Home, Inc., 1 Mohawk Ave, Scotia, NY. Interment at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville, NY.

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