Rit Fish

Rit was born, Carlton Rittenhouse Fish, Ill on April 27, 1947 to Carlton Rittenhouse, II and Lucille Fish in Salt Lake City, UT. He passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his loved ones, on April 6, 2023 at the age of 75.

He was a fun, caring, supportive and a loving husband to Brenda and father to Eric (Tiffany). Rit and Brenda celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary the week before he passed away.

His formal education was at the University of Utah-earning a BS in Geography and an MS in Economics. He was intelligent and curious, with a wide breadth of knowledge.

Once his interest was piqued on a topic, which happed often, he would research and delve deeply into all aspects of the subject-be it birds, watches, planes, rocks, cars, dogs, etc. He was an avid reader with a vast and varied library. He recently bought most of the banned school books so they could be shared in their original, “offensive” form.

He selected jobs that allowed him to be with his family, friends and to be active outdoors. It was important to him to work for and with people he liked and who had a strong work ethic, as his own. He felt strongly about the environment and wanted his employers to be principled and environmentally responsible.

Rit's life enjoyment was being active outdoors. As a child he won a bicycle which started a lifelong love of cycling. In 1970, he rode from Leysin, Switzerland to Barcelona, Spain. He competed in the Snowbird Hill Climb numerous years and accomplished the feat in under an hour. In 2015, Eric and Brenda (with his support) completed the Hillclimb together.

He loved to hike the local mountain trails, walk the Jordan River Parkway and explore the Oregon coast. He was especially pleased when Ada, Eric and Tiff's Borderdoodle, joined the adventures. Their ramblings together over the past six years brought Rit to new places and gave he and his family great happiness.

Friendships came naturally. His ability to talk easily with, listen well, and remember details of anyone he met, meant he maintained long-lasting, meaningful, friendships from childhood, along the way at school, work, and more recently while he walked the hills around the valley and on the Jordan River Parkway.

Walks on the Jordan River Trail, nearly a daily event since his retirement in 2009, brought a new thirst for knowledge, to identify birds and wildlife that inhabited his section of the trail. Along the way, he learned from and shared the knowledge with a close knit group of River Friends and casual walkers.

Rit's enjoyment of life meant he would avoid harming any critter or vegetation if possible. For years we watered and supported a “mostly dead” plum tree that birds thought was placed as a perch for them. He loved to watch, feed, and water the visiting birds, getting additional enjoyment when some turned out to be squirrels. His family was well aware that if the car made an abrupt swerve it was likely done to miss a caterpillar, or a snake, or a bird crossing the road.

Rit is survived by his wife, Brenda; son Eric (Tiffany); sister Stephanie Pace: niece Nicola (Randall) Richards and nephews Derek Miller and Drew Miller (Stefanie Nett). He is proceeded in death by his parents; his sister, Rosemary Miller and her husband Robert Miller.

We would like to extend a special thanks to all of our friends and family that have gathered around and supported us during this difficult time; especially Tawny Isakson

A celebration of his life will be held at Tracy Aviary on 5/19/23 from 5-7 PM. Please wear your most comfortable shoes, as Rit would have.

In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to Ken Sanders Rare books or your favorite charity.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Starks Funeral Parlor. Please visit www.starksfuneral.com to share photos and memories with Rit’s family.