Obituary
On Saturday, November 12, 2022, Gary Thomas Witzke of Deltona, Florida passed away at the age of 82.
Gary was born in Owatonna, Minnesota on October 8, 1940 to Christian parents Walton and Adeline Witzke. Gary was the second of four children. The family moved to Rochester, Minnesota where Gary grew up and graduated from Rochester Senior High School in 1958. Gary furthered his education at Rochester Junior College where he studied pre-engineering, graduating in 1960. He then studied at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology, graduating with a Physics degree in 1962 and a Master of Science degree in 1965. Gary was a star student, achieving a high grade point average in every area of study and was a Phi Beta Kappa member. He did some further study at Columbia University and the California Institute of Technology.
Gary was a highly skilled scientist who specialized in mathematics and statistics. Throughout his long career, he worked in the defense industry, moving to 11 different cities across the U.S. as he was assigned to multiple government defense projects, including at one point, monitoring underground earthquakes for a company that contracted with NASA. He was certified in sonar equipment engineering and underwater acoustics, used for nuclear submarine detection. Most of his work revolved around top-secret government projects.
Some of the corporations Gary worked for included: Bell Labs in New Jersey (internship); Tracor in Austin, Texas; Texas Instruments in Alexandria, VA; Call-A-Computer and Honeywell in Minneapolis, MN; Marine Systems Center in West Covina, CA; General Dynamics Convair in San Diego, CA; TRW in Redondo Beach, CA; Raytheon in Portsmouth, RI; Systems & Simulation, Inc. in Tampa, FL; and Computer Sciences Raytheon at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. Gary spent a majority of the remainder of his career working for Lockheed Martin at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Gary also loved teaching students and taught Physical Science and Chemistry at Daytona Beach Community College for a few years.
An entrepreneur at heart, Gary found time in his early years to develop and implement the selection criteria for a dating service called “Party Mate” for college students. Later, while living in California, Gary invested in tomato and pumpkin farming and partnered with local landowners to market fresh tomatoes to fast food restaurants. His pumpkin endeavor was not profitable, however, as the crop was unfortunately destroyed by a fungus. Yet Gary kept his word and fulfilled his contract with the YMCA to deliver 10,000 pounds of pumpkins for Halloween festivities by purchasing them elsewhere at a higher cost. Many years later, Gary developed test quantities of an effective fertilizer called “Ocean Magic” which utilized trace minerals and sea salt to help in hydroponic gardening. And in one of his favorite cities, Newport, Rhode Island, Gary invested in real estate and purchased a home - with a purchase agreement written on a paper napkin - that he owned and rented out for over 30 years, retaining his status as the landlord until his death.
Gary loved gardening. Wherever he lived, he planted things, and they would grow. After retirement to his Florida lake home, which he purchased from his parents, Gary’s love of gardening led him to create a haven of flowering fruit trees and food-bearing plants on the property, spending many hours tending them, selling his harvest and always giving some away to friends and neighbors. He may, indeed, have had one of the largest lychee trees and elephant ear trees (Guanacaste - the national tree of Costa Rica) in central Florida growing in his backyard.
Studying weather patterns and meteorology was another passion of Gary’s. He also enjoyed an occasional round on the golf course. Gary was patient, kind, compassionate, and known for his love of long, in-depth conversations. In his retirement, he often enjoyed talking with his brother Walton with whom he shared a common interest in investing and the dream of conquering the stock market.
Gary will be greatly missed. He was preceded in death by his father and mother and his younger brother, Dr. David Witzke. He is survived by his siblings Walton L. Witzke and Janet (Joseph) McGowan, 7 nieces and nephews and 19 grandnieces and grandnephews. A memorial service will be held in Wisconsin in April 2023. Condolences and memories may be directed to Lohman Funeral Home (www.lohmanfuneralhomes.com) in Deltona, Florida.