Joseph Ritsi, 66
Joseph M. Ritsi, a former Montauk fishing captain and Air Force and Air National Guard veteran, died in his sleep at home in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 27. He was 66. No cause of death was given.
Mr. Ritsi had spent summers in Montauk while growing up, living with his family in Miami the rest of the year. He worked out of Montauk over the years as a charter mate and captain, owning the Gannett, and was also a mate on his childhood friend Dave Kohlus’s Hooker. During this period, Mr. Ritsi also worked as a corrections officer with the Suffolk County sheriff’s department and served in the 106th Air National Guard Rescue Wing based in Westhampton Beach.
Joseph Michael Ritsi was born on Sept. 12, 1951, in Astoria, Queens, to the former Christine Ruschmeyer and Michael Caesar Ritsi. The original Ruschmeyer’s Inn on Second House Road in Montauk was his mother’s family’s business. He made his home in Montauk in a house on South Forest Street.
After completing high school Mr. Ritsi served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, leaving the service as a staff sergeant. He re-enlisted twice, first in the Air Force Reserve, then in the Air National Guard.
Over the course of his military service, he was given the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, the Air Reserve Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Force Achievement Medal, among others.
His family said that he loved nothing more than being a father and grandfather. He enjoyed sports, fishing, hunting, history, travel, classic cars, animals, and he collected vintage coins.
He is survived by his mother, Christine Ruschmeyer Moore of Miami, his children, Michael Ritsi of Montauk, Jaclyn Roge of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and Linda Roge of Rochester, and seven grandchildren. His siblings, Karen Ritsi of California, and Maria Ritsi, Cheryl Ritsi, Dino Ritsi, and Crissy Ruschmeyer, all of Miami or the Miami area, also survive.
Mr. Ritsi’s funeral will be held on June 30 at 12:30 at the Montauk Community Church, followed by burial at Fort Hill Cemetery.