Maria “Ritty” Van Soelen was born on December 30, 1940 in Utrecht, Holland. She passed away on January 21, 2024 after a long struggle with cancer. Ritty was 83 years old.

Ritty is survived by her long-time partner, Millie Hunt; son, John Fickler (Jan); granddaughter, Nicole Green (Cory); great-granddaughter, Lily; nine step-children, Dennis Bren (Crystal), Penny Bren (T), Charlotte Hamp (Mark), Shawn Lukins (Steven), Timothy Corrow (LaDonna), Gail Wissler (Kevin), Charles Corrow (Levy), Tina Coba (Jay), and Micheal Christian; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Ritty completed her education in Holland. She immediately went to work after graduating. She began work as a laundress at the age of twelve. When Ritty was fifteen her mother decided to move to the United States because it was the land of opportunity. She began working as a housekeeper with the hotels and retired as a housekeeping manager in 2009 and she and Millie moved to Helper, Utah.

Ritty loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; telling them stories of the past and building new memories. When she did not have the grandchildren around, she enjoyed working out in the yard; pruning trees, working in her garden, and taking care of the lawn. Ritty’s mother sang as an opera singer in Holland and Ritty’s favorite thing to do in the evening was to sit quietly and crochet and listen to opera music.

Ritty is preceded in death by her mother, Maria Linschoten; father, Gijsbertus Martinus Van Soelen; daughter, Lydia Ortega; and step-daughter, Valerie Atkinson.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. at the Helper Stake Center (150 Ridgeway Street) in Helper. Arrangements entrusted to Mitchell Funeral Home of Price and Huntington where friends are always welcome daily and may share memories of Ritty online at www.mitchellfuneralhome.net