JOHN C. WITTENBERGER

SCHOTT, WITTENBERGER, NOTHERN, APKING, KLEMME, HOUCK, WAGNER, DENIKE, STRUCKMAN, MENOR

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 6/7/2008 at 18:15:56

JOHN C. WITTENBERGER

John C. Wittenberger, 59, of Barrington, Rhode Island, a product design engineer for Texas Instruments in Attleboro, died Sunday, at home. He was the husband of Carolyn (Nothern) Apking Wittenberger and the late Bonnie (Klemme) Wittenberger. He was born in Louisville, KY, the son of Frances (Houck) Wittenberger of Erlanger, KY, and the late Frank T. Wittenberger.

His career started with Xerox in Rochester, NY, where he designed instruments to evaluate the quality of xerographic images. After that he was an optical product design engineer for Honeywell in Littleton, CO for 25 years where he designed slide projectors, electronic flash units, the first optical auto focus system used in Japanese cameras, optical inspection instruments and digital photographic printers.

In 1995 he joined Astarte Networks and designed free space optical cross connect switches for fiber optic networks. In 2000, Texas Instruments brought him to Attleboro, MA, to design Data-Com products. He has 12 patents. Mr. Wittenberger wrote of himself when he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer: "I am a six year old boy exploring the stream of life. There are frogs to catch, snakes to chase and rocks to overturn to find those marvelous creatures under them. I have been following this stream for almost sixty years. I have been privileged to have been married to two wonderful women and raised two children into productive adults. They are my greatest joy and accomplishment (however most of the credit must go to their mother). I have been privileged to belong to teams that have designed new and technology changing products. I am a citizen of the planet earth and a Christian who has been too silent."

Besides his wife and mother, he leaves a son, Dr. Michael D. Wittenberger of Okinowa, Japan, a step-son, Craig K. Apking of Dallas, TX, a daughter, Julie Wittenberger-Wagner of Santa Fe, NM, a step-daughter, Kristin Apking DeNike of Bettendorf, Iowa, two brothers, Frank Wittenberger of Davenport, Iowa, James Wittenberger of Reedsburg, WI, three sisters, Janice Struckman of Erlanger, KY, Judy Menor of Highland, CA, and Jean Schott of Clermont, Iowa. A memorial service was held on Friday, May 9, 2003, in St. John's Episcopal Church Memorial Garden in Barrington, RI. Arrangements were by the Smith-Mason Funeral Home in Riverside, RI.

Postville Herald-Leader newspaper clipping, hand dated May 2003? 4? or 5? from my mother's obituary collection.
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