Obituary of Colton William Rittenhouse

Colton William Rittenhouse was born in Boise, Idaho on his dad’s birthday, August 3, 2000, and passed away on January 3, 2019. He was 19.

Colton was a peaceful and happy baby with a gentle soul that resonated throughout his life. He showed an early interest in mechanics and loved cars, trucks and motorcycles. His first favorite color was “rainbow” because he liked all the colors the same.

Colton made friends wherever he went and he made some very special bonds with kids he grew up and went to school with. Those bonds lasted until his last day on Earth and he loved so many people, animals and things with all his heart.

Colton had an easy going spirit and attracted others to him with his gentle and kind manner. He could strike up a conversation with anyone in any generation and stay captivated in that conversation for hours. He was sentimental and held on stoically to the old Toyota pickup truck that brought him and his brother home from the hospital. He loved that old truck and wanted to “drop a V8 in it.”

Colton was very patriotic and grew up with a strong sense of right and wrong. He felt he was called to serve our country in the armed forces. He loved camouflage colors and wanted to dress in greens and tans as often as possible. When Colton was in high school, he asked his mom if she would buy him monthly supplies of MREs instead of school lunches because he wanted to be prepared for the military. One Mother’s Day he made his mom a breakfast from one of his beloved MREs: biscuits with peanut butter.

Colton loved working in the shop with his Dad, Bonus Dad and Grandfathers. He was a true helper and always thought of others.

Colton’s main passion in life was skiing. There was nothing else that captivated him as much as that sport. He learned to ski at the Little Ski Hill in McCall, Idaho. His favorite place to ski was Tamarack Resort in Donnelly, Idaho. When he was skiing, he was free from anything that was on his mind and he always tried to think of new ways to challenge himself on the hill.

Colton was accepted into the U.S. Army in 2019. The first week was rough with homesickness but after that, he found his calling suited him and he loved the experience. Unfortunately, Colton was discharged for medical reasons and that disheartened him eternally.

A Celebration of Life for Colton will be held on Saturday, January 18, 2020, 12:00 p.m. at the Church at Arling Center at Tamarack Ski Resort. A Remembrance Potluck in the Schoolhouse will follow. Please bring along your favorite memories of Colton to share with all.

Family members who were blessed to receive Colton in their arms on Friday, January 3, 2020 were his grandparents, Harold and Nancy Rittenhouse.

Those of us who will continue to keep Colton in our memories here on earth are his father, Phil (Lisa) Rittenhouse of Homedale, Idaho; mother, Angie (Ted) Lukecart of Galvin, Washington; grandparents, Richard and Brenda Bradley of Quartzsite, Arizona and Harold and Joyce Lukecart of McCall, Idaho; and all of his aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Colton has numerous friends, friends’ families, and acquaintances hoping that he will watch over them with his amazing spirit and warmth.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Colton’s name may be made to www.covermeveterans.org.

NO FLOWERS, PLEASE.