Carolyn Maria Victory

Carolyn Maria Victory

May 16, 1965- March 28, 2025

Carolyn Victory, wife, mother, homemaker.

Carolyn Maria (Ritchie) Victory, 59, of Papillion, Nebraska, died peacefully at home on March 28, 2025, after a heroic battle with cancer.  She was a devoted wife to her husband Bernard, and a dedicated mother to their son, Paul.

Carolyn was born May 16, 1965, in the Bronx, New York, the eldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Maria (Koestner) Ritchie.  She was raised in a humble middle class and God-fearing traditional home setting.  Mr. Ritchie was a Long Island Railroad conductor and Mrs. Ritchie a dedicated homemaker.  Carolyn grew up in a number of towns on Long Island and in Westchester County with her seven brothers and sisters.  She was a star pupil in her homeschooling studies, which allowed her spare time to help her mother teach her younger siblings, and help care for the family.  Her dedication gained the family’s love and respect as a devoted daughter and big sister.  After finishing high school, Carolyn worked in banking in New York and in retail sales in Williamsburg, Virginia.  She later studied therapeutic massage at Christopher Newport University, and worked in that field.

A devout traditional Catholic, Carolyn met her husband Bernard, then a government employee, through an online Catholic singles site; they were married for 16 years, moving from Virginia to Nebraska in 2008.  Carolyn homeschooled their son Paul and nurtured him to love the Catholic faith.  He now attends St. Louis de Montfort Academy, Herndon, Pennsylvania.

Carolyn believed fervently in seeking to grow in knowledge of God, and of His Holy Church, and to oppose evil actively in all its forms.  She was a regular at public Rosary rallies to promote such causes as traditional marriage, raising awareness of the Fatima message, and to protest evils such as abortion and satanism.  Carolyn sought to do whatever she could to promote restoration of an authentic Christian culture, especially by opposing the revolutionary social and political forces that work to lead people away from God.  She was a lifelong supporter of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP), a Catholic non-profit which faithfully fights for these values.

Carolyn’s love of her faith and the glories of Christian Civilization fed an enjoyment of travel to shrines and important historical and cultural places in Europe and the Americas.  She lived in Brazil for several months where she learned the Portuguese language and fulfilled one of her great desires:  meeting with the great Catholic intellectual leader, Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira.  Her proficiency in Portuguese added to the enjoyment Carolyn had with Bernie on their honeymoon in Portugal, where they traveled the country, visiting Fatima, among other beautiful places.  She also traveled with her husband or sisters to Italy, France, Spain, Austria, the United Kingdom, and Ecuador.

A daily communicant and keeper of a Holy Hour, Carolyn often called herself a “Roaming Catholic.”  She deeply loved traditional liturgies and attended several churches that offered them, including St. Barnabas Catholic Church (Anglican Ordinariate), Assumption Ukrainian Catholic Church, and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, all in Omaha; the Byzantine Catholic Community at St. Gerald Chapel in Ralston, Nebraska, and St. Wenceslas Catholic Church in Wahoo, Nebraska.  These communities blessed her with many warm friendships.  Carolyn also enjoyed close friendships with ladies in the homeschool and health-and-wellness communities in Omaha and beyond.  The entire family is most grateful for the abundant support of so many of these friends during her illness.  Carolyn also cherished her extended family, especially her nine nephews and nieces.

Besides her husband and son, Carolyn is survived by her mother Maria, of Glen Rock, Pennsylvania; brothers, Robert, Kevin and John, all of Spring Grove, Pennsylvania; sister, Mary Franchini (Ralph) of Chesterland, Ohio, and their children—Paulina, Lucy, Dominic, John Michael, and Carlo; sister, Therese Castle (Tony) of Luray, Virginia, and their children—Thomas, Genevieve, Celine, and James; and her brothers, David, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Joseph, of Glen Rock.

In lieu of flowers, Carolyn asked that donations may be made to St. Louis De Montfort Academy, 868 Herndon Road, Herndon, PA 17830.  https://montfortacademy.edu/  Donations may be made at https://montfortacademy.edu/donations/

VISITATION: Friday, April 11, 2025, from 6:00-8:00pm at West Center Chapel.

MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: Saturday, April 12, 1:00PM St. Barnabas Catholic Church (Anglican Ordinariate) 129 N. 40th St., Omaha.

INTERMENT: Immaculate Heart of Mary Cemetery, Abbottstown, Pennsylvania, at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to St. Louis De Montfort Academy, 868 Herndon Road, Herndon, PA 17830.  https://montfortacademy.edu/   Donations may be made at https://montfortacademy.edu/donations/ 

To view live broadcasts of the service, please visit www.heafeyheafey.com and click the “Live Cast” button at the top of the home page.

Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler, West Center Chapel, 7805 West Center Road, Omaha, Ne 68124. (402)-391-3900. www.heafeyheafey.com