Obit: Witte, Neal W. (1944 - 2020)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Witte, Hanne, Gillmore, Thomas, Becker, Rohland, Newman, Lomas

----Source: Maurina-Schilling Funeral Home (Colby, Clark Co., WI) 11/20/2020

Witte, Neal W. (11 October 1944 – 16 November 2020)

Neil W. Witte, age 76, of Colby, passed away on November 16, 2020 at Mount View Nursing Home, Wausau from Covid-19, complicated by a courageous 14-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Neil was born on October 11, 1944 to John and Lila (Hanne) Witte in Colby. He married Nancy Gillmore on December 21, 1968 at First United Church of Christ in Colby. He worked for thirty-five years for the Medford Area Public School system where he taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grades at various schools in the district. He received his Master of Science in Education from UW-Superior in 1990. He served as the elementary principal at Stetsonville Elementary until his retirement in 2002. He was a former member of the National Elementary Education Association.

He was a lifetime member of First United Church of Christ in Colby and served 9 years as president and treasurer of the local congregation.

His hobbies included collecting coins and stamps, planting trees, and wood working. He enjoyed hunting and fishing and spending time outside. He always had a canine companion at his side and a camera in his hand to capture all the memories. He looked forward to camping with family and Black Friday shopping with his children.

Neil is survived by his loving wife Nancy and his six children: Laura (Jeff) Thomas of Mississippi, Neilaine (Al) Becker of Colby, Nathan (Denise) Witte of Loyal, Beth (Brian) Rohland of Marathon, Greg (Dana) Witte of Stevens Point, and Rachel (Dan) Newman of Oshkosh. His 16 grandchildren: Vanessa (Matthew Lomas), Josh, and Anna Thomas; Jed and Alaina Becker; Caleb, Brock, and Parker Witte; Courtney, Logan, and Morgan Rohland; Isaac and Wyatt Witte; Jacob, Eli, and Avery Newman. His brothers: Dean (Doris) Witte of Colby and John (Gloria) Witte of Idaho, along with many other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Private services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Wisconsin Parkinson Association.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Mount View Nursing Home for the attentive care they provided.

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