Wilmer Bittner

Wilmer Bittner July 30, 1922 - April 18, 2010

Wilmer L. "Bud" Bittner, age 87 of Waldorf, died on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at the Janesville Nursing Home after a short fight with cancer. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 22nd at 2:00 p.m. at First Lutheran Church in Waldorf with Rev. Michael Mathews officiating. Interment will be in the church Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Arnoldt-McRaith Funeral Home in Janesville, and will continue on Thursday afternoon for one hour prior to services, at church. Wilmer Lee was born on July 30, 1922 in Alma City, Minnesota to William and Rose (Fratzke) Bittner. He was baptized on August 27, 1922 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Freedom Township, Waseca County, and confirmed on April 5, 1936 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Janesville, where he also attended Trinity Parochial School. On November 13, 1943 he was united in marriage to Eileen D. Oldenburg at St. John''s Ev. Lutheran Church in St. Clair. Bud and Eileen have resided on their Vivian Township farm their entire married life. Bud farmed for many years, and for the last 15 years of his career worked as a maintenance engineer at Mankato State University. Bud spent his life helping his family and others any way he could. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, farming, carpentry, and later on in life, gardening. Bud had a creative side and made chain saw bears, garden animals and planters out of pieces of old farm equipment, and wood furniture, which he enjoyed giving away. His family left on earth, missing him, are his wife of 67 years Eileen. His son Larry of Bozeman, MT, and daughter Judy (Doug) LaPitz of River Falls, WI; by his grandsons Nathanial Lewis, Abraham (Katie) Lewis, Elisha (Tonya) Lewis, and granddaughter Megan Bittner; by his great grandchildren Jacob, Elizabeth, Isaac and Josiah; by his sisters-in-law Dorothy Bittner of Elysian, Lorna Adams of Minnesota Lake, and Barbara (Robert) Anderson of St. Paul Park; by nieces and nephews and other extended family. Waiting to welcome him home to heaven are his parents, his brother Alvin, his father-in-law and mother-in-law George and Marie Oldenburg, and his brother-in-law Bud Oldenburg.