Roe (Buddie) Edwin Witt

Roe (Buddie) Edwin Witt, 88, born on March 2, 1933 of Lecanto, FL, went home to be with the Lord on February 19, 2022. He was born to the late Lester J. and Irene Z. (McClung) Witt of Big Mountain, WV. He grew up in Dawson, WV and joined the Navy in 1952 and served his country proudly for 20 years. He went to Boot Camp in San Diego, CA and then was sent to Korea on an ammunition ship, the USS Virgo/AKA20. He then was sent to the island of Eniwetok Atoll in the chain of islands known as Marshall Islands and served in Operation Castle. He was witness to the testing of the first hydrogen bomb while stationed on Eniwetok Atoll. From 1954 to 1957 he served with the Navy Seabees in Alaska and the Philippines. He helped to build a Naval Air Station at Subic Bay in the Philippines where the Seabees moved a mountain and created an Airstrip. He had a tour of shore duty in Yorktown, VA at the Naval Mine Warfare School and married his childhood sweetheart, Edna Stevens Witt in 1958 and they made a beautiful home together where she kept the home fires burning, taught school and raised their two children. Edna stayed in Yorktown working as a teacher while Buddie was assigned to the USS Fort Snelling/LSD 30 out of Norfolk, VA making various deployments to the Mediterranean Sea for over six years. Other ships he served on included the USS Krishna/ARL 38, USS Fort Mandan/LSD 21, USS Tulare/LKA 97 (brief) and USS Anchorage/LSD 36. He spent three years at N.B.C. school in Rhode Island as an instructor, where at the time he made Chief Petty Office, DC. He ended his Naval career at Little Creek Amphibious Base in Virginia Beach, VA in the MSU. He was a lifetime member of the Yorktown FRA# 172 and retired after 20 years as a Hull technician with 5 Good Conduct Awards, U.S. Navy Expeditionary Medal, Korean Service Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnam Services Medal. He then went to work at Virginia Power station as a supervisor (after working at Cliff’s Gulf Station in Yorktown, VA) he retired a second time after 10 years with Virginia Power. Roe (Buddie as everyone called him) and his wife, Edna, camped for family fun, all their married years. The wonderful memories of many camping excursions with his children, grandchildren, family and friends will be cherished memories forever. The last 14 years have been lived in Citrus County FL where he loved attending Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church and sharing life with members of Life groups. He and Edna enjoyed having a year-round garden on their property in FL and looked forward to their Saturday morning breakfast dates. A favorite past time with his Lecanto neighbors was playing Hand & Foot and Mexican Train. He is survived by his wife of 64 years (this year), Edna (née Stevens) Witt of Lecanto, FL; son, Donald (Deborah) Witt of Seaford, DE and daughter, Rhea Witt (Robert) Hernandez of Yorktown, VA; grandchildren, Anna Marie Hernandez and Robert Edwin Hernandez; sister, Carol (Clarence) Westcott of Seaford, VA and sisters-in-love, Donna Witt of Grassy Meadows, WV and Jenny Witt of Troy, MO; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lester J. and Irene (née McClung) Witt; four brothers, Lester Dale of Troy, MO, Carl Ray of Dawson, WV, Merrell Lee of Grassy Meadows, WV, and Glen Oral of Dawson, WV and sister-in-love, Ann Witt. A service with military honors will be held at Amory Funeral Home at 5:30 p.m. on April 28th, 2022 with a reception following at FRA#172 in Yorktown, VA. Burial will take place on April 29th, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Gardens in Hampton, VA. The family suggests memorial contributions to Compassion International 12290 Voyager Pkwy. Colorado Springs, CO 80921 and/or Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute 521 N. Lecanto Hwy. Lecanto, FL 34461