William Witte 1896-1979

WITTE, CONRAD, CASSIER

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 8/20/2023 at 07:13:33

15 March 1979 - The Tipton Conservative

Funeral services for William Henry Witte, 82, Lowden, will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday (today) March 22, at Zion United Church of Christ, Lowden. The Rev. Paul Jordan will officiate and Mrs. Walter Helmold will be the organist.

Pallbearers will be Lester Timm, Elmer Schlueter, Norman Biere, Reuben Wenndt, William Stout and Arnold Koch.

Mr. Witte was born Sept. 8, 1896, in Leese, Germany, the son of Frederick and Louisa Brockmeyer Witte. He died March 18 at a DeWitt hospital.

Mr. Witte was a resident of Lowden for over 50 years, and president of the American Trust and Savings Bank in Lowden for more than 20 years. According to an article which appeared in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Jan. 31, 1965, Mr. Witte came from Germany to settle in the Bennett area in 1909. Two sisters and a brother were already living there. He was 14 1/2 years old when he started working as a roustabout in a general store in Bennett, packing eggs and doing other chores. Mr. Witte is quoted as saying, "My parents were very poor. I had to support them." That was in 1910. He had just completed 10th grade.

Mr. Witte started his banking career at the Sunbury Savings Bank in 1917, then bought an interest in a store in Bennett. He soon sold that interest when it appeared that he would be called to serve in World War I. He was called 5 times but each time his leaving was postponed, and the Armistice was signed before he was able to go.

He became assistant cashier at the Farmers Savings Bank in Bennett in 1919, and was promoted to cashier in 1921. He joined the bank in Lowden in 1927 becoming cashier Nov. 1. He became vice-president and cashier in 1941 and president in 1947.

Mr. Witte was a former vice-president and treasurer of the Iowa Bankers Assn., served 25 years as the state treasurer of the Iowa synod, Evangelical and Reformed church, and was a member and president of the State Assn. of School Boards.

Mrs. Witte's first wife, Ella Conrad, died in 1935. He married Wilma Cassier at Lowden April 12, 1936. He was a member of the Wheatland Masonic order and a Shriner.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, one son, one grandson, 2 sisters and one brother. He is survived by his wife, Wilma of Lowden; 2 sons, Robert F. Witte of Baytown, Texas, and David W. Witte of Lakewood, Colo.; one brother, Dick Witte of Lost Nation; and 5 grandchildren.