Delores Witt

Delores “Dee” Ann (Kittleson) Witt passed away peacefully at Our House on Thursday, October 31, 2024 in Austin, Minnesota.

Dee or as some may know her as “Blondie” was born on November 7, 1939 in Pine Island, Minnesota to Henry “Ole” and Evelyn (Kennedy) Kittleson. She was the first of three children. She attended Wasioja and Dodge Center Schools and graduated from Dodge Center High School in 1957. She married James (Jim) Witt at St. John’s Catholic Church in Dodge Center, Minnesota in 1960 and they raised three children in Austin, Minnesota. They had 58 years of marriage before Jim passed away in 2018.

Dee worked for the City of Rochester, Minnesota before starting her family and then after the kids were all in school, she worked at Neveln Elementary School, first as a lunch lady and then as a custodian. She took pride in keeping the school in immaculate condition, to the point of scrubbing the fixtures with a toothbrush! She retired from the school district in 2001.

Dee enjoyed visiting area casinos with her girlfriends and husband, maintaining an immaculate home and her outdoor flowers in which she took great pride, and spending time with family at their Leech Lake camper.

She will be dearly missed by her three children: Patti (Mike) Ankeny, Austin, MN, Mike (Peggy) Witt, Byron, MN and Ron (Teresa Johnson) Witt, Owatonna, MN; nine grandchildren: Crissy Christgau (Tom), Jennifer (Dustin) Jacobsen, Ben (Liz) Ankeny, Tiffany (Willie) Granholm, Nate (Liza) Witt, Emily (Jake) Witt, Katie (Bailey) Witt, Deryck (Stephanie) Witt and Rayce (Miranda) Witt; along with nineteen great-grandchildren; her brothers-in-law, Tom (Diane) Witt, New Hope, MN and Duane Schwier, Wykoff, MN; sisters-in-law, Sandy Carroll, Rochester, MN and Nancy Kaasa, Ohio.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry “Ole” and Evelyn; sister, Marla Jean; brother, Larry; husband, James “Jim”; mother and father-in-law, Audrey and William “Bill” Witt; sister-in-law, Joyce Loechler; and sister-in-law, LaVonne Schwier.

The family wishes to send a special thank you to the staff at St. Croix Hospice and Our House for their loving care in her final months.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 14, 2024 at Clasen-Jordan Mortuary with Father Gregory Leif officiating. Visitation will be at Clasen-Jordan Mortuary one hour prior to the service.