Eldridge Leon Ritter

He was born near Cave City, Ky., Oct. 18, 1931, to Frank Thomas and Nannie Mae (Shaw) Ritter.

A fast-talking recruiter got him signed up to join the U.S. Army in 1950. Following boot camp at Fort Knox, Leon was sent to Korea as a light infantryman with L Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Regiment, First Cavalry Division. He was wounded in the Battle of Unsan, and captured by the Chinese shortly after. Initially sent to “Camp 5,” he and other prisoners were marched into the mountains, to a camp they came to call “Death Valley Camp.” He survived the coldest winter in Korea since records began, and returned to Camp 5 in the spring. That fall, he moved downriver to Camp 3 on the Yalu River, where he remained until his release in August 1953.

Upon his return to his hometown, he received a hero’s welcome. The mayor of Cave City declared “Sgt. Ritter Day,” complete with a parade, and the governor declared the former prisoner of war a “Kentucky colonel.” Leon was discharged in 1953.

He eventually was awarded the Purple Heart, the Korean Service medal, a Prisoner of War medal, and the National Defense medal for his service. Leon also earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. He was a member of the American Ex-POWs, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Disabled American Veterans.

He married Alvene Logsdon Feb. 27, 1954, in Glasgow, Ky.

Some classes through the GI Bill gave Leon qualifications in television and radio repair.

Due to scarce employment in Kentucky, Leon and Alvene moved to Indiana, where their son, Nathan, was born.

The family moved west, spending some time in Oklahoma, then heading south into Texas. A second son, Chris, was born in Fort Worth.

By this time, Leon was a civil service employee.

In the early 1960s, the family moved to Corpus Christi. In 1981, Leon’s job took him and Alvene to San Antonio.

They moved to La Vernia in 1986 and began building their “dream home.” He retired in 2006, after 47 years in civil service.

Their door was always open to family members.

Leon was an avid gardener, often expanding his efforts to his neighbors’ property. He and his best friend, Graham Lawrence, hunted arrowheads together and attended artifacts shows.

He also was assistant district commissioner with the Alamo Area Council of Boy Scouts, and avidly promoted the organization and its activities throughout South Central Texas. Joining him in Scouting for a number of years was his grandson, Zachary.

When asked how he was, his response was “great.” He was always “great,” wherever he was, as long as he was with someone and had something to do. He liked to have a purpose.

Leon enjoyed being a grandfather and great-grandfather, attending as many of their activities as he could.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Alvene, in 2009; and his siblings, Kenneth Ritter, Coy Ritter, Elzie Ritter, and Nancy Bishop.

Survivors include his sons, Nathan Ritter and wife Jane, and Chris Ritter; siblings Thomas Ritter, Ron Ritter, and RoseLee Skaggs; and grandchildren Jessica Ritter, Shauna Gordon, Nikki Myrick and husband Buster, Jed Ritter and wife Brandy, Taylor Ritter, and Leon Ritter and Marque. Leon also is survived by his great-grandchildren, Zachary, Kara, Damian, Alora, Toby, Grayson, Marshall, and Charlotte.

Visitation will be Thursday, Feb. 22, from 8-9 a.m. in the Sunset Funeral Home in San Antonio, with a funeral service at 9 a.m.

Burial with full military honors will take place Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio.

Memorial donations may be made to the La Vernia Veterans Memorial, laverniahistory.com/veterans-memorial, or the Disabled American Veterans, dav.org.