Thomas Gitter

Thomas Joseph Gitter, born on Oct 29, 1925, in Hortonville, WI died peacefully with family by his side on Veteran’s Day, Nov 11, 2025. He was the beloved son of the late Edwin and Burnette Gitter.

Tom is survived by his wife, Louise Gitter (nee Hagen), whom he met at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They were married for 73 years and were lifelong residents of Madison. He is also survived by his children, Mark, Sarah (Katz), Michael (Cecile), Daniel (Joyce), Therese (Dan), and Jamie (Kristen) along with thirteen grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. He has one surviving sibling, Peter, and Louise’s sister, Judy (Frank). He is preceded in death by two grandsons, David and Timothy, as well as one sister and six brothers.

Tom proudly served his country in WWII. He joined the Army at age 17 and joined the US Army 86th Infantry division, also called the Blackhawk Division. Tom served in active combat in Europe and then was transferred to the Pacific theater.

Using the GI bill, he earned his degree in Pharmacy and began his lifelong career. He owned an independent pharmacy, Glenway Prescription Pharmacy, in Madison and his wife and children all worked there.

He was a member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church and sent his children to the Catholic school and later to Edgewood High School. The family was a part of the QP Camper’s Group for many years. Tom loved fishing, camping, traveling, and was a Badger and Packer fan all his life. Because he loved photography, he often shared his travel slide shows at local nursing homes. He also volunteered at the Wisconsin Veteran’s Museum and the Historical Society as a docent.

Tom developed a self-taught passion for stock trading and eventually earned his retirement through investing. He was still trading via the internet until just shy of his 100th birthday. Another hobby after retirement was sharing his WWII experiences through presentations to the community. Even though he moved out of Wisconsin to be near family before he died, he still did these presentations for new audiences.

His family gathered to celebrate his 100th birthday a couple weeks before he died. He enjoyed seeing everyone and we all got to tell him he was loved one more time. How fitting it was for this proud WWII veteran to finish his life on Veteran’s Day. He will be dearly missed by his family, but he lived a full life and is now enjoying his eternal rest in heaven.

The funeral mass for Thomas Gitter will be held on Feb 20, 2026 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 401S Owen Dr, Madison, Wi. Visitation will begin at 10am followed by the funeral mass at 11am. The inurnment ceremony will follow at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services

3610 Speedway Rd.     Madison

608-238-3434