Faith L. Ritsema, 88, passed away peacefully early Wednesday morning, March 9, 2016. She was born on November 26, 1927 to Walter and Esther Braschler, in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. She spent part of her childhood in Lodgepole, South Dakota until her family moved to Lansing, Illinois. Due to the Depression, Faith had to leave high school early to work as a telephone operator for Illinois Bell. (although she later achieved her high school diploma through the GED program at Prairie State). In 1947, she married Cornelius Ritsema and they had two children, Greg Ritsema and Candice Ritsema Douglass. In about 1962, Faith and Cornelius moved from Lansing, Illinois to Crete, Illinois where they raised their children and were founding and active members of Crete Reformed Church. In 1986, her husband of 39 years passed away after battling mesothelioma cancer. Cornelius was only 61 years old and Faith had been very devoted to him. To fill the void after his death, Faith founded a Bible study group for Women Without Partners at Crete Reformed Church (now Crete Church). She also loved to golf and was an active member of the womens church league, "Tuesday Tee-offers." She enjoyed her church family and they loved her and admired her strong faith. Faith was passionate about animals, especially horses and dogs, and was an adventurous traveler. She was known to drive all night to get from Chicago to Arizona where she liked to soak in the sun, play golf and hang out with friends. She was driven to share Gods love and traveled to Russia with the World Home Bible League to distribute Bibles to people there who never had them. And, she often traveled to the Seattle, Washington area to visit her daughter and son-in-law. She also enjoyed watching sports (both on TV and in person), especially football and the Olympics. During the last decade, Faith struggled with Alzheimers disease. While the disease made it difficult for her to remember things and communicate, she never lost her sense of humor and always had an infectious smile. She was blessed with a beautiful voice and even in the last months, would sing along with visitors who came to Crown Point Christian Village. She could remember all the words and never missed a beat. Faith lived a very full life and is survived by her son, Greg Ritsema (spouse, Wanda) of Lowell, Indiana; her daughter, Candice Douglass (spouse, Jerry) of Bellevue, Washington; and her brother, Marvin Braschler (spouse May) of Crown Point, Indiana. Surviving grandchildren are Erica Harper (spouse Jay) of Lowell, Indiana and Gena Knapp (spouse, Eric) also of Lowell, Indiana. And surviving great grandchildren are Aubrey, Kynlee and Trent Harper of Lowell, Indiana. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 12th at 11:30 a.m. at Crete Church, 24755 Country Lane (just off of Exchange Street), Crete, Illinois 60417. A luncheon reception will follow the memorial service. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Faiths name to the Crete Church or the Alzheimers Association. Service Information Cemetery Private private private, IL 60466 --> Service Saturday March 12, 2016 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM Crete Church 24755 Country Lane Crete, IL -->