Joye Marie Ritter

Joye Marie Ritter of rural Newton, passed away Tuesday, April 5, 2016, at Unity Point Health Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 9 at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory. The family will greet friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 8 at the funeral home. Memorials to the Metz Church for the roof fund may be left at the funeral home.

Joye was the second of eight children born to Zora and Ruth Allen. Joye was born in Livonia, Mo., Oct. 22, 1938. After living in Missouri until 1950, she moved to Cincinnati, Iowa and graduated from Cincinnati High School in 1956. She attended college in Kirksville, Mo., for three years and then taught school in St. Marys and Tama. She was united in marriage to Ronald Ritter in 1960, and lived in Toledo until 1964, when they moved to Newton. Three children were born to this union.

She is survived by her husband, Ronald of Newton; three children, Sandy (Randy) Stidham, Trina DeBruyn and Daniel (Cheryl) Ritter, all of Newton; seven grandchildren; and one step-great-grandchild.

She was preceded in death by a brother at age 5; an infant sister; her parents; and a grandson in infancy.