Louise M. Witte, age 94, died on February 6, 2020 in Carrollton, TX. She was born in Pope County, Illinois on September 10, 1925, the only child of Ted and Faye Hedger. She was preceded in death by Alvin H. Witte, her husband of 61 years. Survivors include her two sons Leonard (Marta) of Wheaton, IL and Richard (Jeanne) of Carrollton, TX; five grandchildren, Emily (Daniel) Kurowski of Lombard, IL, Grant Witte of Wheaton, IL, Adam Witte of The Colony, TX, Jason Witte of McKinney, TX, and Nathan Witte of Dallas, TX; two great grandchildren Laurel and Leo Kurowski; two sisters-in-law Phyllis Kimmel of Long Beach, IN and Nancy Witte of Cincinnati, OH; and cousin Howard Fletcher of Georgetown, TX.
Born in humble surroundings on her grandparent’s farm, not far from where both her parents were raised, Louise spent her early years in deep southern Illinois. During the Depression, her father sought work in the Chicago area, settling in Oak Park where she spent the next 50 years. Educated at Oak Park-River Forest High School, she made a long list of lifetime friends. To make some money in the summer, Louise and some girlfriends were camp counselors where a camper named Phyllis Witte told her of her brother, Alvin, a marine just returning from the fight in the Pacific. They met at a party in Al’s honor, spent as much time together as possible during his leave, and were married a few months later on January 20, 1945; and after a brief honeymoon in downtown Chicago, they drove their way through the snow to USMC Camp LeJeune, NC, where they set up housekeeping in B Village, Trailer #16609. When the war ended, Al took a job with the Oak Park Police Department, and Louise began her life as the wife of a law enforcement officer, a task she gladly accepted for over 30 years.
Louise loved volunteering in the Oak Park school system as her sons’ room mother, teacher’s aide, and Cub Scout leader. For many years she worked for LE Schulein Company as an administrative assistant to help put her sons through college.
When Louise and Al retired to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, in 1989, it gave her the opportunity to add to her long list of friends. Louise joined bowling and golf leagues, as well as being active at the Presbyterian Kirk in the Pines. In 2015, she moved to Carrollton, TX to be nearer to family.
A memorial service will be held on a date to be determined, at Chapel Hill Gardens West Funeral Home, 17w201 Roosevelt Rd, Oakbrook Terrace, IL. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18