Bret Allan Wittmer Obituary (1963 - 2012)

\ Bret Alan Wittmer, D.V.M., M.D., 48, of Madisonville, Kentucky, passed away on May 9 at St. Marys Medical Center in Evansville, Indiana. \ \ Bret was born August 21, 1963, at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Indiana, the son of Gary Wittmer and the late Judith (Zeller) Wittmer of Elberfeld, Indiana. As a child he lived on a small farm in Elberfeld, where his love of animals was nurtured. He was a 1981 graduate of Tecumseh High School. Bret then entered Purdue University in the fall of that year as a pre-veterinary student and earned early admittance to the School of Veterinary Medicine. He graduated in 1988 and briefly practiced veterinary medicine in northern Indiana. However, his career in industry began as a research veterinarian at Toxicology and Pathology Services in Mt. Vernon, Indiana. In 1990, he took a job at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Evansville, Indiana, where he conducted human clinical trials and later became a clinical studies consultant. In the fall of 1994 Bret earned acceptance to the Indiana University School of Medicine, completing his medical school curriculum in 1998. Following graduation he moved to Madisonville where he completed a three-year family practice residency at Regional Medical Center. He then opened his independent, solo family medicine office, practicing at two different sites prior to building his own office space that housed both Commonwealth Biomedical Research and the Center for Integrative Medicine. His practice of medicine included clinical research studies, alternative medical therapies, acupuncture, and traditional family medicine. He opened a branch clinic in Crofton, Kentucky, to meet the needs of local patients in that area, and also worked as a volunteer physician at St. Luke Free Clinic in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. \ \ Bret had a passion for making quality education available to students. He sponsored a Guys in Math Program at Madisonville Community College (MCC) which provided one-on-one tutoring sessions for young men in order to eliminate math barriers to pursuing engineering-related degrees. Bret also sponsored private scholarships for MCC students and participated in School Counts, a program that made scholarships available to high school graduates entering MCC. He was a major supporter of the Murray State University Marching Band, St. Josephs Indian School for Lakota Children, YAA baseball and softball, ABA basketball, Upward basketball, the Community Gospel Music Association, and the North Hopkins High School Marching Band. Requests for sponsorships involving children were never turned down. \ \ Bret had many interests and hobbies, among which included gardening, landscape design, farming, attending livestock shows, horseback riding, cooking, music, reading, and business development. He was a devout Christian and had attended several different churches since moving to Madisonville. He was a past member of the Madisonville Lions Club and had been named the #1 Doctor in Hopkins County for the past two years. He was also a member of the Purdue University Presidents Council. \ \ Bret will be greatly missed by his family, friends, the countless patients whose lives he touched throughout his career in medicine, and by the Madisonville community at large. He is survived by his beloved wife of 18 years, Carolyn (Reisinger) Wittmer; his daughter Abigail; and his son Daniel, all of Madisonville, Kentucky; his brother Bart (Maureen) Wittmer of Greenville, Rhode Island; his brother Brad (Jennifer) Wittmer of Elberfeld; and his father. \ \ Visitation will be held from 4 pm to 7 pm Friday, May 18, at Barnett-Strother Funeral Home. A Memorial Service is scheduled for 2 pm Saturday, May 19, at First Baptist Church in Madisonville with Rev. Douglas Anderson officiating. At the close of the Service there will be a Time of Remembrance for those who wish to say a few words about Bret. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and Gideons International. \ \ \ \