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- Niagara Gazette - 5/10/1970
"IT IS A BEAUTIFUL love
story," said O.B. Witmer, 92
He looked, with tenderness
at his wife of 70 years, in
a wheelchair n e a r b y.
Elizabeth Witmer, 91, returned
his glance and, pointing
a finger at him, said with
a faint smile:"You are
telling too much."
The two celebrated the 70th
anniversary of their marriage
Saturday at DeVeaux Manor,
their home for over one year,
"It is most unfortunate that
my little girl here should have
taken a paralysis condition,"
commented the spry, cleareyed
Mr. Witmer. "But .when
you stop to think of it, when
you have been married as
long as we have I shouldn't
complain . . . you: must tell
me what kind of an idiot I
would have been to stay alone
in that big;eight room house;
I am here to cheer her up."
"Of course, everybody
knows that when a man is
over 90 years old, there are
some little .troubles that must
be looked after . . ." He
thought for a while; "I must
confess, we are both feeble.
I had to stop driving at 90,
but I didn't care anyway. We
have enjoyed ourselves. We
were a typical couple who
enjoyed the joys and
pleasures of life."
MR. WITMER is a descendant
of the Witmer family
which first settled in Niagara
County in 1800. His ancestors
were Mennonite farmers who
objected to military combat
in.the War of 1812, according
to records in the Niagara
Falls Gazette files. "The
Porters acquired the river
front and the Witmers acquired
the backwoods," once
quipped a member of the
Witmer family during an interview.
Along the Niagara Frontier,
a number of landmarks are
associated with the Witmer
name-Witmer Road, for example..
Of Mr. Warner's four
brothers and two sisters, only
one younger brother is alive
today. Artemus Witmer now
makes his home in Lakeland,
Fla. There are. a number of
nieces and nephews, among
them Robert C. Witmer, 2913
Michigan; Ave. x ,
Although they are visited at
DeVeaux, Manor by many
friends arid relatives, Mr. and
Mrs. Witmer have no descendants.
"We chose to be
without a family."
"FIRST, we were very
much in, debt," explained Mr.
Witmer. With- his bride, he
had taken over his father's
grocery store at.10th Street
and Grove Avenue. Along
with it,'. the' young couple
assumed some $8,000 in debts..
"I paid every- bit of it,"
recalls Mr. Witmer, "but it
took me 20 years. '$8,000 was
a lot of money in those days.
I said I am a Witmer. and'
the name will stay, honorable
as far as 0. is. concerned." .
"O.B." as, he was known
by everyone who.;knew him,
actually "stands for Orlando
Ben, Mr. Witmer admitted..
He and his bride ran the store
from their marriage in 1900
until 1903, when he went to
work for the Lehigh Valley
Railroad .until 1908.. "My
brothers, just went into colleges,"
he recalls. "The Witmers
are independent." I
never asked any of them
to help me." - _ .
.. BUT ° THESE are old
stories,-' He paused. for a
moment, "Who would stop to
read all that stuff?"
'Prodded into continuing, he
recalled his-career with The
Carborundum Co which he
joined April 22, 1908 and from
which he was retired Dec.
31, 1945, as an accountant.
Mrs. Witmer is the former
Elizabeth May Williams. Born
in Federalsburg, Md., she
came here: in 1893 -with her
family and met her future
husband in school. He was
15, she was 14. "I was infatuated
with her very soon."
Later the Williams family
moved back to Maryland and
a long-distance c o u r t s h ip
culminated in marriage May
9, 1900 when O.B. Witmer
travelled to Bulah, Md. to
take Elizabeth Williams as his
bride.
The couple lived in an~eightroom
house at 2215 Pierce
Ave. for over 49 years, until
Mrs. Witmer's illness.
Mr. Witmer boasts pretty
good health today, with only
a. few minor problems and
"My hearing is more-or less
kind of irregular; I have to
confess." "
° Since, an illness in December
1968, Mrs. W i t m e r ' s
movements on one side of
her body have been
restricted. Her .speech and
.hearing have also been somewhat
affected. 'But she is
very much aware and alert,
''and she loves her nurses and
her friends who come to. see
her.''
WHILE Mr Witmer was
engaged in civic activities
through, the year, Mrs. Witmer:
remained "reticent, a
homebody . . . a very pleasing
homebody, believe me, and
a good cook."
.- A member of;the Niagara
Falls Kiwanis Club, Mr. Witmer
had a perfect-attendance
record for 42 years'. He was
president and - held many offices
in the club at various
times. He remains an
honorary member today, "but
hardly physically able to attend."'
He is a member of Masonic
Lodge 132 and" was. president
for -17 years of the Op-
penheim Zoological Society.
Mr; Witmer's formula for
his happy marriage?"
"I Loved the, girl," he says.
"We just had congenial
cooperation. ' It's not, a
physical - thing, you.' know. .
.... it's a mental, situation. .
- a sincere case of love
. . that's why I am here with
her now.''
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1877 - 1973 (96 years)