Hutchinson -Bernard "Ben" L. Witt, 89, passed away Saturday, July 13, 2019 at his home in Hutchinson, KS.
Ben was born November 3, 1929 in Karval, CO, the son of Gotthilf and Anna B. (Frohreich) Witt. On July 1, 1966 he married Ruth Friesen in Hutchinson, KS. On March 24, 1954 Ben joined the U.S. Army serving during the Korean War and was honorably discharged on March 23, 1956 at the rank of Sp3. He was a member of First Nazarene Church, Hutchinson, KS. Ben had a passion for life, and it showed by a smile on his face with everything he did. He loved his family dearly and enjoyed taking them on trips when they were young. He also had a wild streak in him and loved to drive as fast as he could and also show his kids how fast he could run. Over the years Ben enjoyed watching Nascar racing and listing to music; there wasn't a time when the radio wasn't on for him. He truly loved his church, attending as much as possible. When Ben was young, he had a love of chickens and roosters and had a pet chicken name Tamee. This love of the animals didn't stop throughout his life, his kids and grandkids would always see rooster and chicken decorations displayed throughout his home. Ben also had a love of old cars and was known to be a good mechanic; this came in handy when he had helped at the Hutchinson Raceway. Prior to retiring in 1992, Ben had worked for Ryder Truck Rental doing all kinds of maintenance to the rental trucks, such as welding, engine work and changing the tires. He was preceded in death by his wife Ruth, parents, five brothers, Franklin, Oscar, Albert, Wes and Johnny, four sisters, Bertha Connyers, Frieda Ahrens, LaVida Ahrens and Nita Hoefer. Ben is survived by his four children, Linda (Cary) Gooch of Hugoton, KS, Marie (Bennie) Hayes of Turon, KS, Steve Witt of Hutchinson, KS and Susan (Kerry) Harrell of Springfield, MO; eight grandchildren, Holly (Joshua) Grubbs, Jeremy (Crystal) Landis, Brian Gooch, Andy Wuthnow, Allen (Tracy) Wuthnow, Aaron (Tiffany) Wuthnow, Ryan (Adrianna) McCorkle and Brooklyn Hackler and twelve great grandchildren, Tobias, Clayton and Alivia Grubbs, Lily and Jeremy Landis, Adrian, Avri and Tristyn Wuthnow, April and Alexander Wuthnow, Joshua and Leah McCorkle.

A celebration of Ben's life will be held at 10:00 a.m., Monday, July 22, 2019 at First Church of the Nazarene, 4290 N. Monroe, Hutchinson, KS, with Pastor Jeremy Landis officiating. Visitation will be held on Sunday, July 21, 2019 from 1:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m. with family present to greet friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Hutchinson Funeral Chapel, 300 E. 30th Ave., Hutchinson, KS. Memorial may be given to the Hutchinson Hawks and/or Bernard Witt Memorial Fund.