Mary Ruth Ritchie

With family members by her side during her final days, Mary Ruth Ritchie passed on from a long enjoyable, memorable life on September 18, 2026. Ruth, age 99, got her wish, which was to live out her life in the large farmhouse on the Garden Valley property that had been in the Ritchie family since 1867.

"I've always enjoyed life here on the farm," she said many times.

Ruth was born Dec. 7, 1926, in Oxnard, California, to Mary and Wade Myers. Her father was a WWI veteran serving in the army in France. Ruth grew up on the lemon and walnut farm that her father worked with his cousin Dan Emmett.

Ruth graduated from Ventura High School in 1944 and went to work in the office of a lemon processing plant in Montavo, CA. In 1946, she married Wayne Harvey, an Army Air Corp veteran, who after the war, worked in his family's insurance business in Santa Paula, California. The couple had three sons - Rodney, Robert and Richard. Wayne often said that he wanted his boys to have a college degree since he entered the army immediately after his high school graduation. That was very important to him. Ruth worked very hard to carry out his wishes to make sure that all three of their sons graduated from college and she was successful in doing so.

In 1961, tragedy struck the family when Wayne had a massive heart attack and died at the age of 36. Ruth was devastated and left to raise their three boys who were 13, 8 and 4 at the time. She continued to work at the lemon plant and later, met LaBrie Ritchie, who was a farm equipment salesman. LaBrie and Ruth married on December 30, 1966, and days later,

she and her sons moved north and joined LaBrie and his son, Mike, on the Ritchie property in Garden Valley a few miles outside of Roseburg.

LaBrie ran a sheep operation with help from the boys on the property. Gradually the property transitioned to a grass seed business. Ruth was key in keeping the books for LaBrie Ranch and Seed Company. She also worked for several years for the Federal Land Bank in Roseburg.

Labrie died at age 93 on July 10, 2014. Ruth had continued to live in the farmhouse that she moved to in 1967.

LaBrie and Ruth were long-time members of the First Presbyterian Church in Roseburg. Ruth was also a past president of the Douglas County Livestock Association's Women's Auxiliary. She helped organize the Western Oregon Livestock convention held in Roseburg in the 1970's. She was also past president of the Garden Valley Women's Club. Due to low membership, the clubhouse was sold and the proceeds went to establish a Garden Valley Women's Club scholarship at Umpqua Community College, which is still helping young women today. Labrie and Ruth also loved to travel. Their excursions took them throughout the world, from Scotland to New Zealand and many places in between. But their favorite destination was Kauai where they spent time each winter for nearly 40 years.

Ruth Ritchie is survived by her sons Rod Harvey (Doris) of Philomath, Robert Harvey (Sue) of Eugene, Rick Harvey (Lisa) of Roseburg, Mike Ritchie (Tammy) of Hampton, Oregon, and stepdaughter Ruth Ricards (Joe) of Fillmore, CA. She was also blessed with many

grandchildren and great-grandchildren, each of whom she adored and was immensely proud.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday Oct. 19th at 1:30 at Bar Run Golf Course & Resort in Roseburg.