Barbara J. Ritzco, 39

Gunnery Sergeant, Barbara J. Ritzco, 39, of Fredericksburg, VA, passed away on Friday, Sept 26, 2014 after a courageous battle with breast cancer. Beloved daughter of Anne Ahouse and Thomas Ritzco, she was born and raised in Pennsylvania. She proudly served in the Marine Corps for 20 years. She was a Wounded Warrior, a member of the Achilles Freedom Team and the All Veteran Group Athletic Team.

Barbie was an outspoken advocate for women’s health, breast cancer awareness, BRCA hereditary cancers and staying active. She was a fearless warrior and marathoner whose strength and passion didn’t let chemo and radiation stop her from running. She was an inspirational member of the Scar Project and admired by her Scar sisters with whom she modeled. Barbie was a cofounder of Flat & Fabulous, a group devoted to helping women to embrace their beauty and strength while living without reconstruction after mastectomy. She was also a member of Beyond the Pink Moon, where she was affectionately known as the Warrior Queen and had her story published in the book The Pink Moon Lovelies: Empowering Stories of Survival.

In addition to her parents, she is survived by her son Freddy Quinones III; sisters Brenda K. Ritzco and Tammy Ritzco; brother Gary Ahouse; and nieces Renee Ritzco, Alicia Perkins and Ariana Perkins. She was the beloved stepmother of Keith Brown, Jr., Sari Brown and Javier Brown.

Barbie’s indefatigable spirit and love of life has touched countless people around the world.

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 23 at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please honor Barbie by making a donation to one of the organizations she was passionate about: The Semper Fi Fund, The Scar Project, or Flat and Fabulous.

• The Semper Fi fund
• The Scar Project
• flatandfabulous.org