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In memory of

Thomas "Buzz" B. Witt

Palm Desert, CA, USA

1946 - April 30, 2021

1946 - Apr 30, 2021

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COL (Ret) Thomas “Buzz” B. Witt, 75, passed away April 30, 2021 in Palm Springs, CA after complications arising from a fall. He was born in Hobbs, New Mexico to LTC Thomas and Barbara (Bordewich) Witt on January 20, 1946. He had two brothers, Jeffrey and Corwin (Corky). He traveled with his parents while his father served on Air Force active duty following WWII. They then retired in Olivia, MN where Tom attended high school.

He met the love of his life, Marlene (Chaput) while attending University of Minnesota. He left school and enlisted in the US Army. When he found out he was accepted at Officer Candidate School and would be leaving Berlin, Germany to go to Ft Benning, GA, he kept Marlene on the phone until she agreed to scheduling their marriage while he would be home on leave! They celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary on April 24th over FaceTime.

Marlene was his best friend, his heart, his everything. With her support, he served 7 days short of 27 years in the Army. In addition to other schooling, he is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and U.S. Army War College. He received his M.B.A. from Boston College. COL Witt’s decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with Five Oak Leaf Clusters, among others. He holds the Combat Infantryman Badge. He served in Vietnam as a senior advisor on a Mobile Advisory Team. He loved serving troops in his various Command positions throughout his career. Most notably, he was Director, Personnel Services Support in the 1st Personnel Command in Heidelberg, Germany and oversaw the operation of the Army’s European casualty notification and assistance system during Desert Shield/Storm war. His final assignment was Director of Family Support at U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center at the Pentagon.

After the service, Buzz then served as a family financial planner for several years prior to being diagnosed with Alpha One Antitrypsin Deficiency and deciding to fully retire. Tom was passionate about educating others about this form of inherited emphysema. He and Marlene enjoyed traveling, cruises, fishing, playing dominoes and laughing with friends and family. He was well known for his sarcastic sense of humor, deep booming voice and joy of spending time with his nieces’/nephews’ children. He was an incredibly loving husband and father whose family meant the world to him.

Tom is predeceased by his parents, son (2LT Thomas L. Witt), brother Jeff, nephew (John Jeffrey), in laws Mary and Bill Gray. He is survived by Marlene, daughter Kimberly Witt, daughter and son in law Stacy and Chad Hennis, brother Corwin (Corky) and Debbie Witt, in laws Mary Witt, Mona and Ron DeVries, Bob and Normal Chaput, many beloved nieces, nephews and their children.

COL Witt will be cremated and interred at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date. There is no service scheduled at this time. In lieu of flowers, the family request memorial donations to either Disabled American Veterans or the Alpha One Foundation. He was incredibly proud of his years of service (as of his family’s). He was also extremely dedicated to spreading the word about Alpha One Antitrypsin Deficiency (a form of inherited emphysema) and supporting the Alpha One Foundation’s mission.

For Disabled American Veterans (DAV) online donations, visit www.dav.org/donate. For checks, money orders, or cash the mailing address is : DAV, PO Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250 or call 877-426-2838 Option 2.

For Alpha-1 Foundation, www.alpha1.org/donate or mail to Alpha-1 Foundation, 3300 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Coral Gables, FL 33134.

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