91-year-old honors wife, son with memorial window

Greg Ritter, a 91-year-old retired Baltimore Gas and Electric employee, crafted a stained glass window at St. Paul's Independent Church in Millers, Maryland, to honor his late wife and son. (Submitted)

Greg Ritter poses with family members in front of the window he made to honor his late wife and son. From left: Greg Ritter's granddaughters Emily and Katie Ritter, and daughter-in-law Anita Ritter, of Hanover; Greg Ritter, of Hanover; daughter Cathy Papathakis, of Ellicott City, Maryland; son Paul Ritter, of Spring Grove; and son Mike Ritter, of Millers, Maryland. (Submitted)

Walking through the front door of St. Paul's Independent Church in Millers, Maryland, you might catch a rainbow of vibrant light shining through a stained glass window.

The window isn't large, just 4 feet long and 1 foot tall, and the design of bright squares surrounding three crosses is fairly simple.

The story behind the window, though, speaks to one man's efforts to honor the memory of his son and wife.

Greg Ritter, a 91-year-old retired Baltimore Gas and Electric employee, moved to Hanover's Homewood retirement community with his wife, Josie, in 2005. Jeff, one of their four children, lived nearby with his wife and daughters.

When Josie died in August 2013, followed by Jeff in October, Ritter grew determined to honor their legacies. He got that chance in May, when his son, Mike, mentioned that the church in which he serves as an elder planned to replace the window above its front door.

Using skills he learned at classes at Homewood, Ritter carefully crafted a design for a replacement window over the course of three months a large cross flanked by two smaller ones.

Religion has always played a large role in the family's life, even though Ritter said he no longer attends church regularly.

"I'm a graduate. I'm too old to get in trouble," he said with a laugh.

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91-year-old honors wife, son with memorial window