My name is Ellie Kail and I will be participating in thewalk to honor my grandfather Orville Ritterling. Orville was born and raised inByron, Nebraska. He worked on his family farm with his 4 siblings, he then grewup to become a design analysis engineer specializing in safety for Ford.Orville met my grandmother and they moved to Michigan. They started a family,had 2 sons and then later adopted my mother. Fast forward and I was born.

My grandfather was always cheerful and full of love. Growingup I would visit my grandparents in Michigan, my grandfather always made sureto have something fun planned. He created “Hundred acre woods” from Winnie thePooh. We would search for Pooh and his friends every time we went for a walk inmy grandpas backyard woods. Putting his engineering skills to work, he built a2 story house made out of cardboard boxes and wood. He built this just formyself and brothers to play in. He was the one who sparked my creative side, hewould have things for us to paint, mold or create every time he was around. Heloved nature and adventures outside. I was his only granddaughter for 13 years,so to say the least, I was spoiled. One day my grandma and I decided to pull aprank on him, he fell asleep and we decided to paint his toenails. That was notall, I made him go to the park with his pink toes poking through his sandals.He did not even hesitate, he wore those pink toes proudly just to make melaugh. He was truly one of the most kind, compassionate and loving men I know.I could go on and on about all the things he did for me to make sure I had funwith him and my grandmother while I visited them.

As he got older he slowly declined, sadly it was fromdementia. He was aware some days that he was losing memories, but other days hewas still the same grandpa. His wife passed before him and that reallyescalated his disease. He lost his fight in 2020  ultimately from covidbut he was ready to be reunited with one of his sons and wife. He is extremelymissed by my family and I, but I know he is watching down and is proud of us.