Edward Wittmayer Jr.'s Obituary
Edward Wittmayer Jr. passed away peacefully at his home in Longview, Texas on January 15, 2025. He went to be with his Lord at the age of 93. He was born on November 4,1931 in Beulah, North Dakota. At the age of twelve, the Wittmayer family moved to Iowa. In the spring of 1954, he met the love of his life, Annettamae (Saul) Wittmayer at the Black Hawk Rollerdrome. They were married on November 27, 1954. Ed and Nettie were married for sixty-eight years until her death on March 24, 2023.
After serving in the U. S. Army, stationed in Fort Knox, Kentucky and the Panama Canal Zone, Ed returned to Waterloo. After brief employment at John Deere Tractor Works and Rath Packing Plant, Ed joined the Cedar Falls Fire Department where he served for thirty-two years. In addition to serving as a firefighter, Ed served on the fire department’s emergency squad. Ed often told his children that he delivered seven babies, among them one set of twins. He finished his career in the fire department working as the Administrative Assistant. While retired in Sun Lakes, Arizona Ed was employed at State Farm Insurance and later volunteered at the Casa Grande School District where his wife Nettie was employed. Ed and his wife Nettie moved to Longview in September of 2022 to be near their son The Rev. Kevin Wittmayer of Longview.
Ed’s life was accentuated by a life of service to his community. His employment as a firefighter led him to active participation in the local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He was also involved in the Cedar Falls Lion’s Club and served many pancake breakfasts over the years. Ed and his wife Nettie were also active in the local chapter of the Association of Children with Learning Disabilities (ACLD). Memorials in Ed’s name can be made to any of the above organizations.
He is preceded in death by his beloved wife Annettamae (Saul) Wittmayer, his parents Edward Wittmayer Sr. and Vera (Johnson) Wittmayer, his son Kent James Wittmayer and great-granddaughter, Kaylee Ann Crisp. He is lovingly remembered by his children, The Rev. Kevin Wittmayer and wife Pamela of Longview Texas, Kathryn Crisp and husband Bob of Farmington Arkansas, and Kreg Wittmayer and wife Emily of West Des Moines, Iowa. He adored his ten grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on January 22, 2025 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Marshall, Texas at 6:00 p.m. where Ed worshipped and his son Kevin is Interim Rector. An additional service will be held at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in West Des Moines on February 7, 2025 and will be officiated by The Rev. Elizabeth Poppelwell. Interment will follow at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery at Van Meter, Iowa. The family would like to thank the kind staff of Parkview Assisted Living, Chambers Hospice and J’a Handy who so lovingly cared for Ed in his last days.
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