Terrence "Terry" Ritchie

Following a lengthy illness, Terrence Peter "Terry" Ritchie of Perth-Andover, NB, passed away peacefully at the Upper River Valley Hospital on Saturday, January 27, 2024.

Terry was born in Perth-Andover, NB, on September 29, 1945. He was the son of the late Gerald and Mary (Porter) Ritchie. Terry leaves behind his nephews, Tim Ritchie (Tanya) and Rick Ritchie (Jolene Bickford), both of Hamilton, ON; his great niece, Indira; his great nephews, James and Brayden; his sister-in-law, Nellie Ritchie of Hamilton, ON; his cousins, Gordon Ritchie, Heather Ritchie, Donald Ritchie, Holly Ritchie, Jim Wylie, all of Ontario, Barbara McQuade of Perth-Andover, NB, Susan Delaney of South Carolina, and Thomas Ritchie of Saint John, NB; along with many friends.

Terry was predeceased by his parents; his brothers Timothy (infant), Maxwell, Douglas, and Dennis Ritchie; his beloved four-legged friends, Whitey and Buster.

Terry lived his life on his own terms. An enigma, he walked lightly - and mostly quietly - on Earth, with the heart of a poet, the eyes of an artist, the mind of a genius and the soul of a child.

After decades of travel and work in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, England, Greece and Ireland, Terry returned to his hometown of Perth-Andover NB in 2008. Taking care of his ailing brother, Dennis, until his beloved brother's death, Terry stayed on in the village where he grew up.

In May 2012, at the age of 64, Terry was elected Mayor of Perth-Andover. Having been displaced from his home and out of a job due to the devastating flood two months earlier on March 23rd, Terry gained notoriety as NB's first homeless mayor. Terry's sharp intellect, steel trap memory, journalistic skills and fearlessness to 'Tell it like it is', kept Perth-Andover in the news - locally and globally - amidst quivering provincial politicians - until the end of his Mayoral term in 2016.

Terry will be remembered by those who liked him and those who disliked him, alike. Images of him walking his dogs, Whitey and Buster, around the village are sealed in our collective minds forever. His deep love for his dogs was often eloquently expressed in his social media posts. In other posts, he would memorialize a birth, a death, birthdays and other celebratory events. He leaves behind a large group of people who very much enjoyed his diverse, thought-provoking and inspiring posts.

The man had a way with words. And humor. He brought significance to the insignificant, importance to the unimportant. Like Ernest Hemingway, Terry's muse, Terry chased after that one true sentence. He loved this quote by Hemingway:

'All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know'.

Respecting Terry's wishes, there will be no visitation or funeral held. A graveside service will be held in the spring. Terry's ashes will be buried in the Ritchie Family lot in the Presbyterian Rural Cemetery.

For those who wish, memorial donations to the Victoria County SPCA would be appreciated by the family.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Brunswick Funeral Home, Perth-Andover, NB.