Beloved husband of Marcia M. Wittmayer (nee Rump). Dear father of John (Karen) Wittmayer, Mark (Rebecca) Wittmayer and the late Christine Wittmayer and Susan (Daniel) Thomas. Dear Papa of Jennifer Wittmayer, Daniel Thomas, Jonathan Thomas, Michael Thomas, Maryssa Thomas, Janay Thomas, Hannah Wittmayer and the late Latasha Thomas. Adopted Papa of Rich and Kathy Miller, Emily Miller and Allison (Thomas) and Harper Schultz. Dear son of the late Raymond Rudolf and Mildred Minnie Wittmayer (nee Joern). Dear brother of Curt (the late Joanne) Wittmayer. Our dear great grandfather, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin, friend and pastor to many.
The Wittmayer family wants to thank the staff of Bethesda Southgate Nursing Home for their care and concern for Gary.
Written by Pastor Gary Wittmayer:
Garland (Gary) Raymond John Wittmayer was born on September 5, 1937, to Raymond Rudolph Wittmayer and Mildred Minnie nee Joern at Bottineau, North Dakota.
He was baptized on October 8, 1937, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Deep, North Dakota by the Reverend Wm. H. Gierke. His sponsors were Benjamin and Ella Wittmayer.
He resided with his parents at Lake Metagoshe. His parents ran the general store and took care of Pilgrim Park, a Methodist camp. At about age 3 they all moved to Overly, North Dakota where his dad was a partner in a garage business. About a year later they moved to Parshall, North Dakota where his father ran the Standard Oil service station. Gary spent his childhood and teenage years in Parshall.
He was confirmed on May 28, 1950 at Immanuel Lutheran by the Rev. Eduard Vadja. His confirmation verse was Romans 3:38-39: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
On November 26, 1954, Gary was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout at a court of honor in the school gymnasium. Prior to that he had earned the Pro Deo Patria (For God and Country) award.
He graduated from Parshall High School in 1955, one of a class of 15. While a senior in high school, our Lord Jesus called him to study for the holy ministry. He was led by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the members of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Parshall, North Dakota and their pastor at the time, the Rev. Robert Wyssman.
The fall of 1955 found him at St. John’s College, Winfield, Kansas, one of the LCMS’s Junior College Preparatory schools. The fall of 1957, Gary entered the first class of the new Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There he met his future bride, Marcia Rump, a then-student nurse at Lutheran Hospital’s School of Nursing.
The fall of 1959, Gary enrolled at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, while Marcia remained in Fort Wayne. The distance did not diminish the romance of Gary and Marcia and they married on June 17, 1961, just before they left for Wauwatosa, Wisconsin where Gary took up his vicarage duties at Pilgrim Lutheran.
Graduating in May 1963 from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, he was ordained on July 14, 1963, at his home church, Immanuel Lutheran, Parshall, North Dakota and installed August 11, 1963, as pastor of St. John’s and Trinity Lutheran churches, Tampa and Durham, Kansas.
In 1970, he accepted a call to serve Redeemer Lutheran Church in Dickinson, North Dakota and in 1985 accepted a call to Our Savior in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, from which he retired in 2003, at which time he and his wife Marcia took up residence in St. Louis, MO.
Gary’s greatest desire is for no one to grieve but to rejoice in the Lord and celebrate this day when he received a crown of righteousness from his Lord. We rejoice in the good news that Gary was invited to sit down at the marriage feast of the Lamb. Now we wait in joyous anticipation for the day of the Resurrection. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad! Jesus loves you!
Soli Deo Gloria
SERVICES: Fellowship with the family at Salem Lutheran Church and School, 8343 Gravois Road, Affton, Missouri on Saturday, July 25, 10:00 a.m. until Memorial Service at 11:30 a.m. The service will be live streamed for those who can’t attend. The link is: https://slcas.org/church/streaming-video/
Private interment at Park Lawn Cemetery. Contributions to Salem Lutheran Church (8343 Gravois Road St. Louis, Missouri 63123) or LASE Specialized Education appreciated.