Obituary of Jerry Curtis Witt

Jerry Witt July 29, 1929 - January 29, 2011 Jarold Curtis Witt was born July 29, 1929 in Fillmore County, Nebraska to Curtis Leroy Witt and Esther Marie Salmen Witt. Jerry was the oldest of 5 surviving children. As a child, Jerry lived in Nebraska, Colorado and Arizona, sometimes with grandparents, because of his mother's health. Life wasn't easy for the family at that time. Among the stories told are one of him selling newspapers, barefoot, to earn enough money to take his mother to a movie. As a teenager, Jerry taught himself to play the piano and began his lifelong pursuit of health through diet and exercise. Jerry's mother remarked in later years of his intelligence and noted how as a child, he was curious about everything. In 1947, Jerry graduated from College High School in Greeley, Colorado and moved to Denver where he worked at Regis University. Still a teen, he joined the Navy and served with commendation during the Korean Conflict as a radioman stationed in the Philippine Islands. While there he met the love of his life, Enriqueta Arellano. They were married in Manilla on November 23, 1954 and later moved to the US where Jerry continued to serve in the Navy stationed in San Francisco and at the Pentagon. After the Navy, Jerry worked at the Savoy Hotel in Georgetown. He enjoyed telling accounts of meeting scientists, actors, musicians and other celebrities there. Jerry then began a career as a civilian employee of the Weather Bureau and later the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While there, Jerry received recognition as a superior satellite controller, retiring in 1993. During their life together in Washington DC and Northern Virginia, Jerry and Henrietta enjoyed training together, traveling, dining and events in the area, especially jazz music. Jerry acted as Henrietta's conditioning coach during her participation in the sport of Taekwondo. He found some irony in the fact that his last months were spent at Sleepy Hollow Nursing Home, across Columbia Pike from the Mason District Park where he and Henrietta often ran. In later years, Jerry lived in Reston and Herndon where he maintained a gym membership for he and Henrietta, as well as bike lockers on the W&OD Trail. Jerry was known for his kindness to others and especially his willingness to drive those in need of transportation to doctor's appointments, funerals and shopping. During his life, Jerry wrote music and poetry. Some of his works are copyrighted and some have been published. The themes of these works range from those inspired by his love for Henrietta to philosophical and religious works. A highlight of those later years was his participation in The Brethren in Harmony, a local Christian Barbershop Chorus. Jerry went to be with his Lord on Saturday, January 29, 2011 after being transported to the emergency room for difficulty breathing. Full time nursing care had been required since April 2009. The day before his death, he was observed in the hall smiling and talking, waiting for Henrietta to visit. It has since been discovered that the staff would tell him that she was coming, in order to motivate him. He will be greatly missed by his friends and relatives, especially his wife of over 56 years, Henrietta of Reston, VA. He is also survived by three sisters, Juanita (and Wayne) Ball of Greeley, CO, Jacqueline (and Carroll) Cone of North Bend, OR, Carolyn (and Thomas) Truitt of Omaha, NE and one brother, James (and Lorraine) Witt of Keenesburg, CO as well as three generations of nieces and nephews. A memorial and celebration of Jerry's life will be held at Adams-Green Funeral Home, 721 Elden Street, Herdon, VA on Saturday February 5, 2011 at 11AM. Interment will be at a later date, next to his parents in Greeley, CO. Friends are invited to join the family for lunch afterward at Amphora's Diner, 1151 Elden Street, Herndon, VA where Jerry enjoyed entertaining friends and family.