1934 – Gene Wittke – 2021

Eugene “Gene” Oscar Wittke, beloved husband of Elsie Wittke went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at the age of 87 years. He also leaves to cherish his memory two children, Colin (Janice) Wittke of Magnolia, Texas and Jody Wittke (Eric Sackney) of Medicine Hat; five grandchildren, Tylin, Tessa and Trey Wittke; Lynae (Blair) Daffy and Amy Nunweiler (Jullian Rodriguez); two brothers, Lorence (Diane) Wittke and Mel (Ardeth) Wittke as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents Ida and Oscar Wittke; one son Bart Wittke (2007) and one grandson Brayden Nunweiler (2020). Gene was born on February 20, 1934 in Walsh, Alberta to Oscar and Ida Wittke. He was the eldest of three brothers Lorence (Diane) and Melvin (Ardeth). At the age of 13, while attending a Pentecostal Family Camp he gave his heart to Christ and was filled with the Holy Spirit the same day as his father. That moment in time determined how he would live the rest of his life.

The son of a Blacksmith, Gene spent much of his formative and adolescence years helping out in his father’s shop in Walsh (Oscar relocated the shop to Medicine Hat in 1949). Through this exposure he developed a keen interest and deep understanding of the importance metal played in the farming community surrounding Walsh.

In 1954, Gene and his close friend Syd Heringer left Medicine Hat to attend Northwest Bible College in Edmonton. It was there that Gene met the love of his life Elsie (Steinke) Wittke and they were married Sept 30, 1955.

Gene and Elsie eventually settled in Medicine Hat and raised three children Bart, Colin, and Jody. They did much traveling as a family and cherished all the memories that came with that. In retirement, Gene and Elsie continued to travel extensively throughout the United States, spending their winters primarily in Arizona. Also during retirement Gene became an avid softball player and played on numerous teams in both Arizona and Alberta. He somehow maintained his foot-speed well into his 70’s and carried the nick name from this teammates ‘Gene Gene the Flying Machine’.

The ‘Apples’ of Gene and Elsie’s eyes and a source of continuous joy to their lives, were their six grandchildren. Colin and Janice’s children – Tylin Wittke, Tessa Wittke, Trey Wittke; and Jody’s children – Lynae (Blair) Daffy, Brayden Nunweiler and Amy Nunweiler. Gene had a special way with all children, but his focus on these six in particular was tireless. Each of them grew up with Papa being ‘bigger than life’, and each of them are left with his example of what selfless love really is.

The interest that was sparked working in his father’s Blacksmith shop in Walsh led Gene to a lifelong career in welding and metal fabrication. His first ‘regular’ job after Bible School was in Edmonton at Sivlles & Bryson where he quickly became a shop foreman. Upon returning to Medicine Hat, Gene and Lorence bought their father’s welding shop and started to expand Wittke Iron Works. The company grew into one of the largest employers in Southern Alberta. Gene was gifted with an inventive mind and designed numerous waste industry products for the company. In 1977, he was granted a U.S. Patent for Waste Container design and Wittke Iron Works went on to produce those containers for decades. His legacy in this area continues to this day as the Wittke Frontload truck is a mainstay in the Waste Industry and is still being produced for the U.S. and Canadian markets today.

Husband, father, grandfather and friend, he lived a truly storied and fulfilling life that touched so many people for the better. If he were the one summing it up, he would gloss over his accomplishments in business and emphasize the joys he and Elsie shared with their many friends and extended family. Underlying all of that he would have summed it up with “Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, I lived my life for Him”. All of us that have written down these few words to capture a life that could fill volumes saw him live out that claim. We all rejoice because we know the first thing he heard after leaving this life was “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord”.

Today our hearts are broken and we miss him so much but we want to say the same thing, “Well Done Gene.”

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, a private funeral service, with Pastor Mark Borrows officiating, will be held on Friday, June 18, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. with live streaming of Gene’s life in pictures starting at 12:30 p.m. Family and friends are invited to remotely attend by searching for the Pattison Funeral Home Youtube page – video will go live at 12:20 p.m. Those who wish, may join the family for a come & go Celebration of Gene’s life at 1902 – 21 Street SE following the chapel service. Those who wish to remember Gene with a donation, may do so to the Mustard Seed https://theseed.ca/medicine-hat. To e-mail an expression of sympathy, please direct it to: office@pattisonfuneralhome.com subject heading: Gene Wittke, or you may visit www.pattisonfuneralhome.com and leave a message of condolence.

• Date : 2021-06-09
• Location : Medicine Hat, Alberta

1. Check all listings by this user