Florence Black Bittner

Florence Black Bittner 1923 ~ 2003  Florence Black Bittner, age 79, died at home from cancer on January 17, 2003.  Born in Monticello, Utah, November 13, 1923 to Chester Allen Black and Sara Clarissa Hancock. She moved to Salt Lake City in 1940 and graduated from West High School. Florence married Frederick W. Bittner, a recently returned soldier and former POW in Pocatello, Idaho, August 1, 1945; their marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple. She and her husband bought a home in Rose Park where Florence soon became involved in civic affairs. She wrote for the Sunset News and the Davis County Clipper for many years. She was responsible for renumbering the streets on Salt Lake's northwest side in 1970. She was PTA president at the Elementary, Jr. High, and High School levels and was awarded the lifetime PTA President award.  Her husband was a printer and owner of Printer's Inc. in Sugar House. He died in 1975. Florence worked for Salt Lake City as the director of the Salt Lake Association of Community Councils (SLACC) where she built community organizations and administered federal crime prevention grants for the city. The community councils she developed had a significant influence on the decision to change Salt Lake City's form of government in 1979-80. She was elected to the Salt Lake City Council and served from 1986 to 1990 where she was a strong advocate of neighborhood preservation and business development. Her previous service on the board and as president of Neighborhoods USA (a national organization of neighborhood councils she founded) gave her unique understanding into the problems of America's eastern cities. She learned by careful analysis that intractable urban problems occur in cities with dense areas of low-income housing and absentee landlords. During her tenure on the city council she was determined to protect Salt Lake and the west side against developments that would bring these problems to Salt Lake. She was unyielding in her determination to spread projects for the disadvantaged evenly across the city and adamantly believed this would maintain property values, reduce crime, increase business development and help minorities get better housing and jobs. She was involved for many years with the Salt Lake Redevelopment Agency and was chairman of the agency between 1988 and 1990. Together with Mike Chitwood and Willie Stohler, she was instrumental in the development of the Delta Center, One Utah Center, the Broadway Centre, the Sugar House redevelopment project, the Gallivan Plaza and several other downtown developments. She was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She wrote for the Young Women's General Board, served as Relief Society President in her ward and was councilor to five presidents. She was Gospel Doctrine teacher for twenty years and served in the Salt Lake temple for 11 years. She is survived by her three children: Carol Bittner, Centerville; F. Warren (Nancy) Bittner, Centerville and Jonathan (Judy) Bittner, Mesa, AZ; and eight grandchildren: Jonathan James, Frederick Robert, Scott, Elizabeth, David, Daniel, Jeffrey, and Hannah. She is also survived by sisters Irene Wrigley and Iris Syndergaard. Preceded in death by her parents, sisters Naomi, Millie and Jean, and brothers Roy and William Jay. Funeral services will be held Monday 20 January 2003 at noon in the Park Ward chapel, 1125 North 400 West, Centerville. Friends may call 6-8 Sunday evening at Russon Brothers Mortuary, 295 North Main Street, Bountiful. Interment Elysian Burial Gardens.