“DO YOU want fries with that?” was a question Mike and Holly Rittenberry frequently asked customers while working at the McDonald’s on Madison Street during the early 1980s. What began as a friendship escalated into a marriage that has withstood the test of time — 40 years to be exact.
Holly began working at the fast‑food restaurant when she was a sophomore at Shelbyville Central High School. Mike was completing his degree at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and had already been at McDonald’s for a while by the time she was hired. Whenever the two were scheduled for the same shift, their fondness for each other grew. In December 1983, he invited her on their first date, and they soon realized the relationship blossoming between them was the “real deal.”
The night before Holly’s graduation, Mike drove her home following a late-night shift. He surprised her with an engagement ring and asked her to marry him.
“You are so goofy,” Holly had replied. But the rest is “history.” She had been drawn to Mike’s quick wit and his ability to lead others. Though they admit their personalities are different, the old saying “opposites attract” has proven true.
By the time Mike graduated from MTSU, he was a manager at McDonald’s. In 1986, Tom McLean, from First National Bank, invited him to become a bank teller. Again, Mike worked his way up the corporate ladder, and after spending 11 years as a loan officer, in 2000, he was asked to help form Peoples Bank of Bedford County.
“He was fortunate to have several really great people want to join him, and together they made Peoples Bank a great place to work, which was something they were really proud of,” Holly said. “In 2024, they were approached by First Commerce Bank in Lewisburg. Mike had known the leadership at First Commerce for almost 30 years and was aware of their reputation in banking for valuing customer service and taking care of their employees. This merger was good not only for their employees, who are like our family, but also for our community.”
Meanwhile, Holly became a temporary receptionist at Cooper Steel in 1987 after being invited by the CEO, Gary Cooper. At the time, she was taking a semester off from MTSU.
“That temporary opportunity turned into 35 wonderful years of working for an ever-growing family business that has become known as a leader in the steel industry,” Holly said.
Mike and Holly have two sons and a daughter. They were very active in youth sports, and Mike often coached their teams. “We are fortunate that Blake and his wife, Caroline; Brett and his wife, Jesse; and Lorrie and her husband, Chase, along with their children, all reside either in Bedford County or just across the county line,” Holly said. “Blake’s profession is one of providing industrial water treatment. Brett is responsible for quality control for a paving company. And Lorrie works in healthcare as a nurse practitioner.”
Holly is a native of Bedford County, and though Mike was born in Shelbyville, his father worked for GE, so his family moved to several states before they permanently resettled in Bedford County when he was 9.
“As we both grew up in this community, we do not take for granted that many of those who shaped our lives and the lives of our children are now having an impact on the lives of our grandchildren. From the ball fields to the classrooms, and to our place of worship, we are blessed to have many of those who impacted our lives be the very ones helping to shape our grandchildren’s futures.”
Now that Holly has retired from Cooper Steel, she spends at least three days per week with her seven grandchildren, who are all under the age of 6. Holly said, “They all have very different little personalities, and we look forward to seeing where their interests lie. Our oldest granddaughter, Reese, has a passion for horses and takes riding lessons. She turned 5 at The Celebration this past year, right before the World Grand Champion was announced. She still talks about it like it happened yesterday. She and our oldest grandson, Beck, have played both soccer and T-ball and are already looking forward to playing softball and baseball this summer. The jury is still out on what Colten, Spencer, Merritt, Benni, and Noah’s passions will be. Whatever they decide, we will be right there cheering them on.”
The Rittenberrys’ Christian faith is vital to their family. As a member of First Baptist Church, Holly teaches preschool every Sunday morning, and on Wednesday nights, she leads the elementary-age group. She also leads a Bible study for women on Monday nights. She has served on the boards of United Way of Bedford County and the Imagination Library, and currently serves on the board of Cooper Christian Academy.
Mike currently serves on the association board for the Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration. He previously coached youth sports, served as a member of the Lions Club, and was a former board member who, at one time, served as the president of the Bedford County Chamber of Commerce.
Next year, they will celebrate four decades of marriage. But instead of feasting on a pair of legendary McRib sandwiches, they plan to treat themselves to a dream trip to Ireland. Mike is looking forward to playing a round of golf among the rugged “crags” and beside the gleaming “loughs,” where Irish folklore declared that leprechauns stashed their pots of gold. Holly plans to savor the sprawling green hills dotted with fragrant thyme and fields of blooming purple heather, since this is the setting of several of her favorite Hallmark movies.
As a testament to how much they love Bedford County, the Rittenberrys have never once considered living anywhere else — even Ireland. In fact, the entire family is often huddled around the fire pit, listening to music or vacationing together at the beach. GN
