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Vail Daily obituary: Ingrid Rittner

It is with sadness that the family of Ingrid Rittner announce her passing on April 7. She was at home with her son by her side.

Ingrid was born in Brandenburg on the Havel in Germany to an extended family. After surviving World War II in East Germany she emigrated to America from Berlin in 1961. She spent some time in San Francisco and Indianapolis but in 1976 she packed up her son and followed her sister Lisa Klaschik to the Vail Valley. It was here where she found her home.

Vail was created by incredible people with an equally incredible vision, inspired by a love and passion for the mountains. They started the community which became the fabric of Vail. Ingrid became one of the integral threads in that fabric.



“I was overpowered by the beauty of the mountains and the west,” she said.

Almost immediately she started working as a seamstress at Gorsuch. It was through the store that Ingrid began to weave her thread through that Vail fabric and build her “Vail family.” Her son always states,“I was never Robert, I was always just Ingrid’s son.”

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She touched more people than she knew. That being said, Ingrid was always quick to state that were it not for the Gorsuch family’s help and guidance, she and her son might not have been able to thrive in this valley the way they did. She was deeply grateful for that kindness.

Although not a skier when she got here, she quickly adopted the lifestyle. She joined the “Super Chickens,” and also did her part in continuing Vail’s motto of being “A fun mountain.” Skiing was more a fair weather social event for Ingrid than a sport. Being naturally athletic, however, she could keep up with the best of them. Ingrid also had a passion for windsurfing and sailed many of the area lakes. She loved to travel to South Padre Island, Texas in the spring to enjoy the sun, as well as the company of good friends.

Ingrid loved her life here. She was that strong, bright yellow thread in the amazing tapestry that is Vail’s original community. It doesn’t get any better than that. I will leave it at that because she would tell me that I was laying on too much schmaltz. “Get over yourself,” she would say with a smile.

Ingrid is survived by her son Robert Rittner, grandson Simon Rittner, sisters Lisa Klaschik, Annamarie Rautenberg, Hanna Henseler and brothers Jurgen and Bernie Pobitschka.

An engraved stone will be placed in Ingrid’s memory at the Vail Memorial Park in East Vail. There will also be a celebration of Ingrid’s life on May 27 in Vail. Exact times and place will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers the family would like to ask that you consider a donation to Eagle Valley Senior Life in Ingrid’s name at http://www.Evslife.org.


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