Mary Player Rittle, cherished wife of William H. Rittle, passed away on December 29, 2016 at Covenant Place after a long illness. She was the daughter of the late Annie Belle Player and the late William T. Player, Sr. of Sumter, SC. Mary was born in Sumter, SC on July 28, 1945. She attended the Sumter Public Schools and graduated from Edmunds High School in 1963. She also earned two degrees from Central Carolina Technical College. Mary was a member of Croswell Baptist Church where one of her favorite things was tending the church nursery. She also enjoyed traveling, reading and tending to her flowers. Mary is survived by her husband, William H. Rittle; two brothers, Robert L Player of Florence, SC and William T. Player, Jr. of Oak Ridge, TN.; five children and step- children, Sherri Griffin of Raleigh, NC, Vance Griffin of Milford, TX, Ginger Neville of Sumter, SC, Larry Rittle of San Antonio, TX, and Deborah Jacobs of Tacoma, WA; eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Memorial services will be in the Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home Chapel on Monday, January 2, 2017 at 11:00 am. The family will be available for one hour prior to the service to receive friends. The family thanks the staff of McElveen Manor, Covenant Place, and a special thank you to the Guest Care staff at Clarendon Memorial Hospital for the loving care they showed to Mary during her long illness. The family would also like to acknowledge the outstanding care provided by Amedisys Hospice Care during Mary’s final days. Memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Disease Research, 22512 Gateway Center Drive, Clarkesburg, MD 20871, (301) 948-3244. Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements.