Wayne was born in Kankakee, Illinois, on May 20, 1930, to Lyman Ritter and the former Frona Sharp, and grew up in Manteno, Illinois.  After graduating from Manteno High School, he attended Eastern Illinois College for two years and left school to enlist in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.   Years later he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history at the University of Omaha, Nebraska.

Wayne and his brother Jim enlisted in late 1950.  Soon after arriving at his first duty station in Sherman, Texas, he met the love of his life, Juanita Joan Walston.  They began their 56-year marriage there and had four children: Pamela Joan Ritter, Wayne (Mike) Lyman Ritter, Jr., Teresa Lynn Ritter, and Bruce Evan Ritter, all four of whom were born in different states.

Wayne began and ended his Air Force career working in security police.  Between these book ends, he spent most of his career as a pilot, flying first cargo airplanes and then helicopters.  For about seven years, he flew C-123 aircraft at duty stations in North Carolina and Alaska, flying both cargo and paratroopers in training.  He was known for joking with the paratroopers about jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.  While in Alaska his missions were primarily in support of the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar sites that had just become operational and were designed to protect against Soviet air aggression and missile attack.  His time in Alaska was cut short by a few months because of aftershocks from the Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964, which still ranks as the second strongest earthquake ever recorded (9.2 on the Richter scale).  After this he flew C-124 and C-130 aircraft at duty assignments in Georgia, South Carolina, and South Korea, the last of which often involved flying cargo into Viet Nam during the war.  Flying took him all over the world for months at a time, meeting the U.S. military's transportation and supply imperatives of the Cold War.

Following his tour in South Korea, he was trained to fly helicopters, which led to one of the highlights of his career. After astronaut Neil Armstrong had a near fatal accident in the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle, a support helicopter detachment was stood up to assist astronauts training to land on the moon.  Wayne was assigned in February 1970 to command that unit, and in this capacity he provided air support security for the Apollo astronauts training to land on the moon for all but the first two moon landings.  His last two assignments were as the base security police chief at Patrick Air Force Base (just south of Cape Canaveral) and Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan.  Okinawa had only recently been returned to Japanese control following World War II, and Wayne helped to establish warm relations with the Okinawan government.

Wayne retired from the Air Force in 1977 and soon began his second career.  He and Juanita started a day-care center to provide care for older adults while their families worked.  They enjoyed finding places all over Houston to take this group, to include "Cinco-de-Mayo" and Oktoberfest celebrations, and their activities on behalf of the elderly garnered letters of appreciation from authorities, to include the mayor of Pasadena.  Wayne also helped found the Real Estate Investment Club (RICH Club) in Houston and was active in the local chapter of the Military Officers of America Association (MOAA).  Eventually they sold the day-care center and began to travel all over the world.  They rode elephants in the Philippians, walked along the Great Wall in China, saw the bridge over the River Kwai, and made several trips to Germany, among other places.  Juanita especially enjoyed being baptized in the Jordan River during their trip to Israel.

After the loss of Juanita, Wayne married Dorothy (Dottie) Donnow and they enjoyed watching New Orleans Saints' games, LSU football, and old movies.  With Dottie's passing, Wayne moved to Lawton, OK to live with his sister-in-law, Barbara Moeller-Garlow.  Wayne spent these years working on his computer, watching old movies and his favorite TV show, "Gunsmoke".

Wayne was known for his sense of humor, his unstoppable optimism and his strong baritone voice.   He was nicknamed "Tex" by other airmen after the singer Tex Ritter, a name that stuck with him for most of his life.

He is survived by his daughter Pam of Long Beach, California, his son Wayne (Mike) and his wife Angela of Virginia Beach, Virginia, their children Joshua and Noel, daughter-in-law Katie, and great-grandson Jack, sisters-in-law Barbara Moeller-Garlow of Lawton, Oklahoma, Margaret Beck of Roseville, Minnesota, Bernice Pearson and husband Jack of Wichita, Kansas, and many nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents Lyman and Frona Ritter, his beloved wife Juanita, brother Jim and his wife Marianne, children Teresa and Bruce, wife Dorothy (Dottie), Juanita's parents Ruby and Willie Walston, and sisters-in law and their husbands Marion and Emmitt Albright, James Beck, Gene Moeller, and Maurice "MB" Garlow.

The service honoring Wayne's life will be held at 11am, Saturday, November 16, 2024, at Peevey Funeral Home. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow at 11am, Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at Houston National Cemetery.