10 things about Larned, Kansas native Sonja Dee Ritter

Sonja Dee Hanken Ritter was a native of Larned, Pawnee County, Kansas, United States. The city is around 23 miles away from Great Bend, Barton County, Kansas, which is home to Barton County Community College.

BIOGRAPHY

Ritter was Steve Rittter‘s wife. Here are 10 more things about her:

1. She is Sarah Ritter Smith and Shelly Ritter‘s mother.
2. She was born in Larned to Raymond Lee “Ray” Hanken and Patricia J. “Pat” Freeburg Hanken.
3. She attended Barton County Community College after graduating from Hoisington High School in Hoisington, Kansas.
4. For more than 25 years, she worked as a dental office manager.
5. In 1967, her younger sister Tonya Lea Hanken was born.
6. In 1973, her younger brother Terry Allen Hanken was born.
7. In 1982, she married Steve.
8. In 1992, her grandfather Frederick George Hanken died.
9. In 2004, her grandmother Alice Ellen Horst Hanken died.
10. In 2013, she died at age 49.

TIMELINE

Sonja was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church. She enjoyed singing in the choir, watching sports, playing the saxophone, doing floral work, cooking and sewing.

1980s

• On July 24, 1982, she and Steve got married in Albert, Kansas.

1990s

• Her grandfather Frederick turned 80 on February 9, 1992 and died in Great Bend on November 24, 1992.

2000s

• Her grandmother Alice turned 92 on July 26, 2004 and died in Holyrood on December 5, 2004.

2010s

• On July 27, 2013, she and her siblings hosted the 50th wedding anniversary of their parents in the Fellowship Hall of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Hoisington.
• She turned 49 on May 4, 2013 and died in Hoisington on November 21, 2013.
• Her father turned 73 on June 21, 2016 and died at Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas on January 18, 2017.

2020s

• Her sister Tonya was caught on camera harassing a delivery driver named Cris Scandela, who posted the video on Instagram on September 23, 2025. The video went viral.