Linda Medure-Ritter

A beautiful light went out on Saturday, April 4, 2020, when Linda Medure-Ritter, age 74, of Cary, NC, unexpectedly died in her sleep. Linda was a 4’11” dynamo and force to be reckoned with, full of feist, life, and most of all, heart. Born in the Bronx, NY, on October 18, 1945, Linda graduated from high school at age 16 at the top of her class. She went on to SUNY-Albany for one year before attending St. Luke’s Nursing School. She always said nursing made more sense for her, but had “times been different” she would have become a doctor. She earned her B.A. in Healthcare Administration from the University of New Haven while raising her two young daughters, Laura and Katie. Next came her Masters degree in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University in 1986. Linda ultimately conquered the professional arena at the executive VP level of healthcare administration, climbing the professional ladder quickly due to her incredible intelligence, pragmatism, and diplomacy. Linda was an amazing craftswoman, and had a beautiful sense of style. She was a fabulous cook, and could quilt, sew, knit, crochet. She even re-caned her own kitchen table chairs, refinished antique furniture, and jarred many a vegetable in earlier years. It was Linda to the rescue for all “furnishing-the-home” challenges! It was well known that she maintained an active quilting “sweatshop” in the basement of her home. Personalized quilts became her favorite form of love letter. Needless to say, her family and some very lucky friends have plenty of these beautiful, and now treasured, pieces. A family joke has Linda being the only family member who would have survived prairie life in the 1800s… the one you’d choose to be shipwrecked with. She could do anything! Holiday meals at Linda’s home were an Italian Norman Rockwell painting come to life: an exquisitely set table, wonderful smells perfuming the air, the clinking and clanking of endless pots and pans, kitchen timers galore signaling tradition about to be served. And yet, the constant mystery of how to cook a turkey gave limitless giggles for decades. Italians don’t do turkey. Through cooking and her crafts Linda showed her strong love for the things that mattered most to her – Family (capital F!). This love was something shown and passed down by her parents, Adele and Frank Medure, who valued family above all else. Linda was their only child, and Addie & Frankie treasured Linda in ways we all hope to be loved. Their gentle spirits lived through Linda, and continue to live on in Linda’s children and grandchildren. Her oldest daughter, Laura Brader-Araje, attributes her own academic successes, feminist eye, and philanthropic way to her mother. She and her husband Michael, of Chapel Hill, NC, definitely gave Linda more family than she ever expected, as they have 4 children, Devin (18), Zoe (17), Justin (14), and Trevor (12). These grandchildren gave Linda such joy, and nothing made her light up more than their outstanding academic, athletic, and personal accomplishments, milestones, and all the little things that make them special. Linda was so proud of the amazing human beings Laura and Michael are raising. Linda was a regular in the stands at many of their basketball, volleyball, and swimming events, cheering at every stolen ball, swished basket, aced serve, or wall-touched-first. The children were so inspiring that she learned how to swim and ride a bike at age 66 in order to complete a triathlon with her daughter and granddaughter in 2011. It was one of the highlights of Linda’s life. As she herself said about this, “A pig flew!” Her youngest daughter, Katie Brader, lives in Chapel Hill by way of NYC/Nashville/Austin. Katie’s life path has been that of a musical theater performer, songwriter, ASL interpreter, and now as a trauma psychotherapist. Linda championed all of Katie’s endeavors. It’s often said, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” and Katie attributes all that is good about herself to what she inherited and learned from her mother. The last 16 years of Linda’s life were her happiest as they were spent with the love of her life, her husband, Charlie Ritter. High school friends, the stars aligned when they reconnected thanks to an alumni website. The comfort, respect, and love they gave each other was something to envy as they shared their ‘dream life’ together. Charlie, a successful aerospace engineer with more than 100 patent claims, always said it was Linda who was the “real brains of the operation.” And although Charlie was 13 inches taller, he always always looked up to Linda. He credits her compassion, perception, and fast-thinking entirely for all the “good ideas” they ever had that benefitted others in their life. Rarely apart – by choice! – they spent much of their fairytale time together in their beloved NYC going to theater, cabaret, museums. They traveled extensively (nearly 150 trips), and each participated in various activities including community meetings, book clubs, dinner clubs. They kayaked, biked, and had friends, friends, and more friends. Linda never knew how she ever had time to work before retirement. Though Linda died much too soon, we are all better for having known her. She brought out the best in people, was always there when you needed her, lit up a room with her passion for politics, friendship, family, and a good story. “Oh, did I tell you?” always meant a good conversation was about to happen. Linda’s amazing memory for details and family lore dies with her, but she has passed down family traditions that will endure for generations to come. This vibrant beautiful woman will be carried every day in all the little things, in the greater plans for the future, and in our bereft and grateful hearts. If you would like to honor Linda’s memory, gather with your family for a special meal. Better yet, help others who struggle to feed their families and donate to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina either online (secure.foodbankcenc.org) or by mail: Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina Attention: Donations 1924 Capital Boulevard Raleigh, NC 27604 Salute!

Linda Medure-Ritter

October 18, 1945 - April 4, 2020