During a memorial service on January 15 for Bill Ritchie who passed away on December 30, 2010, John Kyritsis gave the following tribute to Bill:
The Lightship Overfalls was very special to Bill & Silvia. Bill was one of the first of a small group who gathered in September of 1999 to begin a seemingly impossible task of saving the Overfalls. It was in derelict status and not a very pretty sight.
This was the beginning of the work that has been on-going by the "Dirty Hands Gang". Bill was an important member of this group and he enjoyed his Tuesday mornings working on the ship. Silvia said that even though he liked to sleep in, on Tuesday morning he was up and raring to go.
Bill served as a Board member and committee chair and was responsible for setting up insurance coverage for the organization. Bill enjoyed being a Ship's Guide on the Overfalls.. Bill had been in the navy so was well qualified to serve as a guide. On Friday mornings when Bill was a guide and Silvia was volunteering in the ship's store, they would have a picnic lunch by the canal before going home.
Both Silvia and Bill participated in a WHYY Public TV fund raising event in which Overfalls members answered the phones. The highlight of Bill's Overfalls involvement was as a crew member on the ship when she returned from Norfolk, coming back to Lewes after being refurbished. It was a bright Sunday when the ship entered the canal in Lewes, leading the way was the Lewes Fire Boat, Coast Guard, and a flotilla of pleasure boats. A beaming Bill and fellow crew members were on deck waving to the crowd on shore. It was a great day
Even after Bill's health began to fail, the Overfalls was not far from his mind. On many occasions he and Silvia would stop by to visit the ship and marvel at all the new surroundings and all that had been accomplished.
Bill was a proud member of the organization and good friends to all.
He will be missed.