William J. Witt Jr.

William J Witt, Jr., aka Bill, was born on September 14, 1935, in Swansea, South Carolina to William and Grace Burnett Witt. He lived for his first 17 years in a small town called North. He welcomed three siblings over the next eight years.
Bill left North, South Carolina and moved to Washington, DC when he was recruited by the FBI. He worked for nine years as a fingerprint analyst and computer programmer. He always had an analytical mind and loved working puzzles. As the oldest sibling he became the provider when his dad became ill from tuberculosis, and he carried that title throughout his life. He provided as he saw fit and always reminded you that is what family does.
Bill left Washington, DC in 1962 to attend Mars Hill College where he met his wife of 30 years, Peg Ormsby. He graduated from Wake Forest College, Winston Salem, NC in 1966 with a degree in English. He always enjoyed confusing people with his degree versus what he did as a career.
Bill and Peg had a daughter, Larissa, in 1968 and a son, Brian, in 1970. Bill encouraged them to be independent and find their own paths in life as they embraced adulthood. He was never one to follow the status quo as he shared the story of a coworker saying, "you never do anything you don't want to do" and he followed this path no matter where his adventures took him.
After 14 years with University of North Carolina as a computer systems analyst he pursued and completed a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. July 1981 – December 1983.
After many years of searching and trusting in God, Bill changed denominations from Southern Baptist to United Methodist where he became a United Methodist Pastor serving multiple churches over the years prior to retiring in 1999. During his retirement years, he lived a simple life of reading, listening to music, teaching Sunday School, sharing stories, inspirational quotes and messages via email and traveling. He had a love for adventure and he often said, "who knew a little boy from North, South Carolina would ever see as many places as I have experienced"?! His travel itinerary included 22 trips to London, four trips to the Holy Land, visits to Scotland, Ireland, multiple car tours around the United States and always with a stop on Civil War Battlefields a topic he would share and chat with anyone willing to discuss. Bill's love for history and reading was instilled in his children who continuously seek ways to explore and discover with travel, live theatre, concerts, and reading. Bill was always reading a book as he supported the local libraries with his ongoing selection of books not to mention his home library can rival any small town.
In his later years, his adventures were confined to Durham as his eyesight diminished and yet he could tell stories and share readings from a variety of sources as he always sought ways to learn, expand his reading repertoire and share the latest article or youtube link he thought you would appreciate.
Bill is survived by his children Larissa Witt Griffitts and her husband Shane Griffitts, Brian Witt and his wife Rachel Murphy. He was predeceased by his parents and his siblings Fred Witt, Barbara Wagner, and David Witt.
The family is grateful for the compassionate care and support from Hallmark Homecare and Heartland Hospice during Bill's last three weeks as his health declined.
Bill is now riding his childhood horse, reading a book from the largest library, and sharing stories with his siblings and friends.
Enjoy the little moments because they truly do become the big moments.
In keeping with Bill's desire for continued learning and wanting to provide a source of research on the aging body, he donated his body to the UNC School of Medicine Anatomical Gift Program. He made this commitment years ago and as he aged he thought it would be interesting for them to study a 90-year-old brain that had not been affected by Alzheimer's disease. Thanks to American Cremation Services, he arrived at UNC School of Medicine wearing his UNC Tarheels shirt on!
A Celebration of Life, officiated by Rev. Adam Benson and Rev. Vann Spivey will be held at Parkwood United Methodist Church, Durham, NC at 2pm Saturday, November 8 with visitation beginning at 1pm.
In lieu of flowers, please give to your favorite charity as Bill was a true believer and giver of donations to charities and organizations he wanted to see thrive.