* Edgar (Pete) Ritter; Rancher

Edgar (Pete) Ritter, co-owner of Ritter & Godde Ranch in Lancaster, has died in Lancaster. He was 61.

A lifelong Antelope Valley resident, Ritter died Thursday of a heart attack, said his wife, Paula Ritter.

Born in Palmdale, Ritter worked on his family’s ranch in Leona Valley during his childhood. After graduating from Antelope Valley High School in 1949, Ritter became business partners with Forrest Godde. The pair ran local alfalfa ranches and, in 1959, purchased 1,000 acres in west Lancaster that they named Ritter & Godde Ranch. Ritter worked on the alfalfa ranch until the time of his death.

He was a member of the Los Angeles County Farm Bureau and the Lancaster Elks Club.

In addition to his wife of 37 years, Ritter is survived by his son, Mark Ritter of Lancaster; daughter, Andria Mayfield of Quartz Hill; brothers, Ralph Ritter of Phelan, Calif., and John Ritter of Yerington, Nev.; sister, Susie Tatum of Burden, Kan., and six grandchildren.

Visitation is planned for noon today, with a 1 p.m. funeral at Halley-Olsen Funeral Chapel, 44802 N. Date Ave., Lancaster. Burial will follow at Lancaster Cemetery. Donations can be made in Ritter’s name to the Antelope Valley 4-H Council, in care of Dana Ritter, 51201 90th St. West, Lancaster 93536.