In Loving Memory of Frederick Carl Witt

Frederick Carl Witt, of Alamogordo, New Mexico passed from this life on his 95th birthday, May 17, 2026. He was born on May 17, 1931, in Clintonville, Wisconsin, the eldest of Frederick Theodor Ludwig Witt and Ruth Helena Schneidewent's eleven children.

Fred's family moved when he was five to Catawba, Wisconsin where they lived on a farm, he started school and later graduated from Phillips High School in a nearby town.

After graduation in 1 949, Fred went into the US Navy briefly before turning to the US Army where he went to Airborne Training at Ft. Benning, Georgia. After airborne training, Fred was assigned to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky in 1950 and was part of the 101st Airborne Division for six years.

During the time Fred was on temporary duty in Georgia with the Army, he met Connie Wykle and Connie's three-year-old daughter, Shirley. Fred and Connie were married in 1953, and they would live at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky together for the next few years. In 1954 they adopted a son, Ricky.

From 1956 Fred spent several years assigned to Augsburg, Germany and then Ft. Bragg, North Carolina for Special Forces training with the 82nd Airborne Division.

After a seven-year break from the military, during which he worked the family farm in Wisconsin, Fred returned to the Army to eventually serve 261/2 years. Following retirement from the Army, Fred worked for the Washington State Patrol Electronic Services (WSPES).

Fred's wife, Connie, died in 1992 following many years of illness. While attending a dance class months later, Fred met Joyce Ann Ashby, and on April 24, 1993, they were married.

Joyce was a wonderful woman with a son, Greg, from a previous marriage. She continued to work as an OR nurse while Fred continued a couple more years with the WSPES. He retired again in 1995 and looked after the house while she worked at the hospital. They remained in Washington for about ten years.

In 2003 they bought a house in Alamogordo, New Mexico. They moved there in 2005 and became involved with a RVing group, the Elks Lodge, the hospital auxiliary, and neighbors. Fred and Joyce traveled many miles in their motor home, from coast to coast, visiting places they had never been, as well as relatives and friends.

Fred is survived by his sisters, Janet (Ron) Varnum of Bar Harbor, Maine, Ruth Hake of Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin, Helen Mills of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, and Nancy Abel of Hortonville, Wisconsin; son, Sean (Rick) Newcombe of Alamogordo; stepson, Greg (Katie) Ashby of Williamsport, Indiana; step-grandchildren, Keenan, Sophia, and Brody; stepson-in-law, Arthur Helbling of Lynchburg, Virginia; step-grandsons, Philip (Gemma) and Kenneth (Stephanie) Helbling. Both step-grandsons are married and have given Fred seven great grandchildren, Carletta, Evie, Emory, Iva Grace, Elise, Cade, and Declan.

Fred was preceded in death by his first wife, Connie; his parents; his current wife, Joyce; his stepson, Sean Ashby; his stepdaughter, Shirley Helbling; his brothers, Dean, Claude, Gene, and Neil; his sisters, Lois and Carol.

Fred will be remembered for his great photogenic smile, his vast knowledge and details of past events, and his quick humor.

A Memorial Service for Frederick will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1800 E. 23rd St. on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 10:00 am. Burial will follow at the Monte Vista Cemetery at 1590 E 1st Street, Alamogordo.

The Witt family has entrusted their loved one to the care of Alamogordo Funeral Home.