Kristi (Kütt) Ritval, 71, of Plymouth passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family on December 7th. Beloved wife of Kuno Ritval, loving mother of Rita (Ritval) DeForest and her husband Brian DeForest, Karl Ritval, and Tiina Ritval and her husband Nicholas Meyer. Devoted grandmother of Olivia DeForest and Madis Meyer.
Kristi was born in Kadrina, Estonia in 1943 to Nikolai and Veera Kütt. She escaped with her family among the last boats out of Tallinn harbor in 1944 before the advancing Soviet Army. Her first memory was growing up in a displaced persons camp in Augsburg, Germany, where she met her future husband. In 1950 she immigrated to New York where she was raised in Queen’s. She graduated from Queen’s College with a BA in sociology and studied abroad in Turku, Finland. She was active in the Estonian American communities in New York and Boston and was a longtime member of the Estonian Women’s Sorority. Kristi worked at British Airways in Manhattan for over a decade, which offered her the opportunity to travel extensively. Kristi and Kuno were married in New York in 1975 and made their home in Plymouth shortly after. She was a travel agent at Carson Travel and Plymouth Travel and was a longtime employee at Filene’s and Macy’s in Kingston. Kristi retired last year after almost two decades of service at Macy’s. During her retirement Krisiti continued to travel to Seattle and Estonia each year to visit family. She enjoyed her Aqua fitness classes at Plymouth Fitness, was an avid reader, took pleasure in working in her garden and most of all, spending time with her family.
Relatives and friends are welcomed to attend visiting hours at the Richard Davis Funeral Home, 373 Court St (Rt 3), N. Plymouth on Thursday, December 11 from 6-8pm. A private graveside service will be held at the Kensico Cemetery in NY at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Estonian Educational Society, Inc 243 East 34th Street, New York, NY 10016; or to Pulminary Fibrosis Foundation, 230 East Ohio Street, Suite 304, Chicago, IL 60611.