Jean Marie (nee Bomgardner) Bitting, lifelong Christian

Jean Marie (nee Bomgardner) Bitting, 95, of Lewes, went to be with our Lord Tuesday, March 14, 2017, while a resident of Cadbury at Lewes. She was born May 22, 1921, in West Reading, Pa.,  the only child of the late Roy Early Bomgardner and Ida Johanna (Sohns) Bomgardner.

Mrs. Bitting married her kindergarten sweetheart and love of her life, Harry (Bit), July 28, 1945, and was blessed with a Godly, Christ-centered marriage which lasted for 68 years, until Bit's passing in 2014.

A top scholar, Jean skipped a few grades, and still managed to graduate as valedictorian from West Reading (PA) High School in 1938. With the aid of scholarships and other academic and sports awards, she attended Albright College in Reading, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1942.

After college, Jean obtained a civil service job in Reading, as Pennsylvania's first woman weather observer. She also worked at the Reading Library, and as a civil service psychological tester at the Induction Station in Harrisburg, Pa., during World War II; and after the war ended, as a U.S. government tester/evaluator of returning servicemen. Following Bit to Washington, D.C., where he had obtained a job as a mathematician at the Navy Hydrographic Office, Jean soon began a career working as office manager for several different medical doctors in Washington, D.C., and the Maryland suburbs. After retiring, she spent many years volunteering at Prince George’s Community Hospital, Cheverly, Md., and Annapolis Hospital in Annapolis, Md.

An excellent athlete, Jean played on various varsity teams in high school and college, including hockey, basketball, softball, and archery. Never one to sit still, Jean, along with Bit, continued athletic pursuits - swimming, tennis, hiking, snow skiing - into their late 80s. She also received awards, including the Mary Alice Devane Spirit Award in 2000 for her volunteer efforts at the YMCA in Rehoboth Beach, and enjoyed her workouts at that facility.

A lifelong Christian of German Lutheran heritage, Jean was active in every church the family joined as they moved around the Washington area. Both she and Bit were members of every church choir, and the memories of her sweet, angelic voice singing the beloved hymns still ring clear. She has been a member of The Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Rehoboth Beach for many years, since the family spent most summers there.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Bitting was preceded in death by her loving and devoted husband, Harry G. Bitting; and her granddaughter, Kristin M. Horstman. She is survived by her four daughters: Candace Horstman and husband David of Naperville, Ill., Christine Garrett and husband Robert of Lithia, Fla., Constance Dieter and husband Michael of Margate, Fla., and Colleen Kirchoff and husband David of Ocean View; six grandchildren: Kimberly Keith and husband Steve, Jonathan Horstman and wife Jackee, Ryan Dieter and fiancée Michelle Moody, Kylee Pina and husband Francisco, Tyler Kirchoff and wife Lindsey, and Megan Kirchoff; and six great-grandchildren: Marie Keith, Henry Keith, Blake Dieter, Kaitlyn Pina, Michael Pina and Calvin Horstman.

Memorial Services will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 25, at The Lutheran Church of Our Savior, 20276 Bay Vista Road, Rehoboth Beach, where friends may visit beginning at 10:30 a.m. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Cadbury Foundation, 17028 Cadbury Circle, Lewes, DE 19958, or to The Lutheran Church of Our Savior, 20276 Bay Vista Road, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971.

Arrangements are being handled by Parsell Funeral Homes and Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, Lewes.

Please visit Jean's Life Memorial Webpage and sign her online guestbook at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com.