BIOGRAPHY

Esther Wittenburg was born on a farm near Tripoli, Iowa on 27 September 1908 to Fred and Luise (Schmidt) Luebs. She had one older sister, Leota, who died in 1992 at the age of 89. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter’s Evangelical and Reformed Church in Tripoli. Esther attended Fredericka #4 Township School in Old Tripoli and later graduated from Tripoli High School.

On 18 July 1926, at the age of 17, she married Fred Bock and had 4 children with him: Virgil, Marlys, Delores, and Larry. Fred died in 1960 and she remarried on 16 June 1966 to Herbert Wittenburg, who died in 1982.

Wittenburg was an active member of Zion Lutheran Church, Ruth Circle, Merry Elders, and the Readlyn Senior Citizens group. She found joy in reading, fishing, and playing cards. At the age of 112, she lived in her own home, with her eldest son, Virgil, who was 92 at the time.

Wittenburg died at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo, Iowa, USA on 27 June 2021 at the age of 112 years, 273 days. She was survived by her four children, 6 grandchildren, 2 step-grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and four great-greatgrandchildren.

RECOGNITION

At the time of her death, she was the second-oldest living person in Iowa, after Bessie Hendricks.

Her age was verified by Stefan Maglov, and validated by LongeviQuest on 31 January 2023.

ATTRIBUTION

* Happy 109th Birthday, Esther Wittenburg! – Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, 1 October 2017

* Happy 110th Birthday, Esther Wittenburg! – Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, 30 September 2018

* Obituary information for Esther Ann Bock Wittenburg – Kaiser Corson Funeral Homes

GALLERY