Margaret A. (Ott) Witty

Margaret (Ott) Witty, 93, of Rock Island, IL, died Thursday, July 6^th, 2017 at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice in Bettendorf, IA. A Catholic funeral Mass will be held Monday, July 10^th, at St. Pius X Church in Rock Island, Illinois at 11 am. Visitation will be at the church prior to the service beginning at 10 am. Burial will follow that Mass at the Rock Island National Cemetery, Arsenal Island. Memorials may be made either to St. Pius X Church (2502 29^th Avenue, Rock Island, Il 61201), Arc of the Quad Cities (Providing services to persons with disabilities-4016 9^th Street, Rock Island, Il 61201) or Clarissa C. Cook Hospice (2546 Tech Drive Bettendorf, IA 52722)

Margaret was born March 11^th, 1924,on a farm in the Orion, Illinois, area, the child of Edgar Ott and Goldie King. She had three sisters, Nedra, Anabeth, and Bonnie Jean. They later moved to a farm in Williamsfield, Illinois.  During World War Two, she worked at the Joliet Arsenal in Joliet, Illinois, where she met the man she was to marry, Arthur Witty.  After his deployment in Europe ended, they married June 29^th, 1946 and eventually moved to Pekin, Illinois.  She was employed as an assembler at American Distilling in Pekin, retiring in 1976.  After Arthur retired from the Commonwealth Edison power plant in Pekin they moved to Snyder Village in Metamora, Illinois. They then moved in with Kathy and Don in Rock Island in 2009. Arthur predeceased Margaret on January 7, 2010, in Rock Island and is buried at the Arsenal Cemetery.  She will be buried with him and they will be together now for all eternity.

She is survived by her daughter Katherine (Witty) Healy, son-in-law Don Healy, grandchildren Ian and Caitlin Healy, and many nieces and nephews.

Margaret was a beautiful person both inside and out, as the pictures indicate. Once, when Don saw a picture of her with her high school classmates, he remarked, “Wow, Nana, you were the best looking girl in your high school!” To which she replied, “I was the best looking girl at BOTH the high schools I went to.” That was the only time she was heard to indulge in a bit of a brag. Modest, kind, practical, intelligent, and outgoing to the very end, she truly was one of the Greatest Generation.  As an example, she saw to it that her sister Bonnie Jean was given a lovely tombstone, which her Depression era parents could not afford when her baby sister died unexpectedly of a childhood illness. She enjoyed being read to, particularly works of nonfiction regarding World War 2 topics.  She became very close to her friends in worship at the Unity Point West-Trinity chapel at Sunday Mass and will be greatly missed by her friends there. Kathy and Don would like to express their thanks to the kind staffs on 7^th floor at the hospital and at the hospice. She lived her life with integrity, fought for it with ferocity, and  faced the end of her days with dignity with their assistance.

Margaret was predeceased in death by her parents, husband, and sisters.

 Service Information