| 10. | WITMER, John Tobias was born on 3 May 1924 in Deaconess Hospital, Buffalo, Erie County, NY (son of WITMER, John Tobias and LEFFLER, Marie Viola); died on 28 Jun 2005 in Alden, Erie County, NY. Notes:
WITMER - John T., WWII veteran engineer
6/30/2005 - Buffalo News
John T. Witmer, a retired structural and aerospace engineer and Army Air Forces veteran of World War II, died Tuesday in his Alden home after a lengthy illness. He was 81.
A Buffalo native, Mr. Witmer grew up in Williamsville and was a graduate of Williamsville High School. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he also was an instructor and head of the Structural Model Laboratory.
During his career, he participated in more than 1,400 projects, including pollution control, harnessing tidal power, cooling systems for nuclear and coal-fired power generation plants, portable radar towers, as well as several bridges throughout Western New York and suspension bridges in Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio.
As an aerospace engineer with Bell Aerosystems for many years, he designed spacecraft heat shields for re-entry, the precursors to systems used on space shuttles. He also worked for other engineering concerns and as a consultant, retiring in the mid-1990s.
Mr. Witmer was a descendant of Tobias Witmer, a surveyor for the Holland Land County, during the early 19th century.
During World War II, Mr. Witmer served in the Army Air Forces' 765th Bombardment Squadron in Italy as a bomb sight mechanic. He rose to the rank of corporal.
Mr. Witmer was active in community affairs and served as chairman of the Village of Alden Planning Board for 27 years. He also was town engineer for five years.
Mr. Witmer and his wife of 58 years, the former Marilyn "Lynn" Booth, were active members of Amherst Dance Club for 25 years and served on the board of directors for 12 years. They were also actively involved with the Edelweiss Ski Touring Club for 25 years, traveling extensively throughout the United States and abroad.
Mr. Witmer's other interests included environmental conservation, ballroom dancing, cross-country skiing, gardening and bridge.
He enjoyed corresponding on issues and current events with The Buffalo News and Alden Advertiser. Survivors besides his wife include three sons, John of Carlsbad, Calif., Michael of Pomona, Calif., and Christopher of Tokyo; three daughters, Pamela Mason of Glennville, Pa., Jennifer Norris of Alden and Danielle Garas of Clarence; a brother, Walter of East Aurora; 21 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
John married BOOTH, Marilyn on 19 Jul 1947. Marilyn (daughter of BOOTH, Raymond A and ROOT, Mildred V) was born on 25 May 1928 in Buffalo, Erie County, NY; died on 20 Dec 2021 in Cheektowaga, Erie County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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