PORT GIBSON — Robert Lawrence Ritchey Sr. died Tuesday, May 15, 2012, at Crystal Health & Rehab of Greenwood. He was 97.

A native of Prattsville, Ark., Mr. Ritchey had lived in Port Gibson since 1939. He owned and operated R.L. Ritchey Mechanical and Electrical, retiring in 1980. He was a Master Mason in Washington Lodge No. 3 and served on the board of the Grand Gulf Military Monument Commission for a number of years. He was a member of Stepping Stone Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 72 years, Mary Ritchey.

He is survived by one son, Robert L. Ritchey Jr. of Greenwood; two daughters, Dorothy R. Byrd of Greenville and Lynda Hodge of Palmetto, Fla.; and five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Wintergreen Cemetery with the Revs. Anthony Prestage and Keith Garland officiating. Burial will follow under the direction of Glenwood Funeral Home.

Pallbearers will be Jerry Morgan, Ken McLemore, John Selden and Duane Moore.

Memorials may be made to Stepping Stone Baptist Church, P.O. Box 1061, Port Gibson, MS 39150.