William (Bill) P. Wittig

William (Bill) P. Wittig of Florence, Massachusetts passed away at his home on August 17 after a long illness. He was 89 years old. He leaves his wife of almost 39 years, Sandra, the love of his life, whom he met on a ferry in Greece, his children Sarah Wittig, Jon Wittig (Patti), Trevor Cowdell (Niamh), Warren MacCallum (Kaitlyn), and Katie MacCallum; his siblings, Arno Wittig (Cate) and Grace Owens (Jack); 11 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He was sadly predeceased by his son, Jeffrey Wittig (Elaine), in 2022.
Born in Buffalo, New York, he was the eldest son of Grace E. and Arno F. Wittig. A third grade trip to a children’s concert launched his lifelong love and appreciation of music. Before long, he had a flute and a teacher. Upon graduation from Amherst Central High School in Snyder, N. Y., he attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he received a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Performance degrees.
This led Bill to several years as a member of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and then serving as faculty of the music dept of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Oberlin contacts led him to spend summers in Cummington, MA at Greenwood Music Camp in Cummington, MA, where he served from 1958 to 1999.
A Fulbright award in 1965 allowed Bill to travel to France with his children, Jeffrey and Sarah, where he studied with a retired flutist of the Paris Opera, Lucien Lavaillotte, and enjoy a year of adventures abroad.
The summer connection at Greenwood eventually led to a teaching position at Smith College in 1967, from which he retired as an Emeritus Professor in 2003. Bill performed as principal flute of the Springfield Symphony from 1976 to 1999. He was also a member of the Mohawk Trail Concerts and served as Director of School Programs for them from 1973-1990.
Bill wrote a number of television programs for PBS, including “Music and Me” which won the ACE (American Cable Endowment) award in 1991, and played flute on numerous recordings.
Bill spent his retirement visiting family near and far, helping his kids with renovation projects, and performing with orchestral and chamber groups in many countries and on different continents. He loved ice cream, sweets, a good festive meatloaf, and celebrating his birthday on the beach with his children and siblings. His family will miss his stories, jokes, and the twinkle in his smiling eyes.
A celebration of life will be planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, Bill wished to encourage donations to the Mass General Cancer Center and Hospice in his memory.