Norbert Joseph ‘Bert’ Witzigman

HINSDALE — After 88 years of blessings and challenges, Norbert Joseph “Bert” Witzigman passed to eternal life Tuesday (July 28, 2026) at The Pines Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Machias.

Norbert was born in Rome on Sept. 13, 1937. He was the youngest son of George Witzigman and Bernice Schoff Witzigman.

He was raised in West Leyden, a small village in southern Lewis County. He graduated from West Leyden Central School in 1955 and attended Christ the King Seminary and St. Bonaventure University, both in Allegany.

On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, 1961, Bert married Ramona M. Wallace at St. Mary’s Church in West Leyden. Throughout 64 years of marriage, they supported and encouraged each other. Together they raised seven children: Scott (Diane Bell) of Hinsdale, Terese (John Beauchamp) of Mukwonago, Wis., Melissa of Oconomowoc, Wis., Robin (Karl Fruehauf) of Springville, Gretchen Dowdy of Grovetown, Ga., Julie (Hans Elsigan) of Cuba and Toby (Ginger Krist) of Hinsdale.

For more than 30 years, Bert owned and operated B.W. Insulating Co., using wood cellulose fiber insulation. He insulated hundreds of homes in Olean and a wide surrounding area. He was always very pleased when customers reported back regarding how much they were saving on their heating bills.

At the age of 62, Bert “retired” to pursue his dream of doing missionary work in a third world country. He joined Fr. Bill Brown, OFM in Peru. He was tasked with the job of putting the roof back on the church in Cheni, Peru which had been burned by the Shining Faith Guerillas (Communist Party of Peru) in the 1980s.  He found the native people to be very warm, happy and eager to share what little they had.  However, tools and materials with which to work were not to be found.  After three months, he returned to Hinsdale but continued to have a special place in his heart for the people in that part of the world. He returned several times in the following years to visit, encourage and support, especially Fr. Bill and his team of catechists. Sr. Emalia, who managed an orphanage, was the sole provider of medical care in Puerto Ocupa and Sr. Valerie Joseph, ran a vocational school in the slums of Huaycan, Lima.

Frustrated by the lack of equipment in Peru, Bert designed and built a portable band sawmill, eventually marketing the mills under Simplicity Bandsaw Mills.  At the same time, he became involved in woodworking. Using primarily oak and cherry, he custom built cabinets for more than 20 kitchens, and made toy boxes, coffee tables, bedroom sets and various other pieces of furniture for his family and friends. He used much of the money realized from this work to continue supporting his friends in Peru.

In recent years he had enjoyed delivering Meals on Wheels, through which he met new people and made new friends.

Norbert is survived by his wife, Ramona; their seven children; 14 grandchildren, Dana, Christopher, Samantha, Gwendolyn, Abigail, Hope, Cosmo, Nicholai, Joshua, Sarah, Anna, Thomas, Tyler and Wren; and three great-grandchildren, Nora, Liam and Sadie.

Norbert was predeceased by both his parents; his older brothers, George (Jean Marie) William and Donald (Elizabeth) Charles; and his son-in-law, Jason L. Dowdy.

The family will receive friends from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday (Aug. 2, 2026) at the Casey, Halwig & Hartle Funeral Home, 3128 W. State Road, Olean. A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Monday (Aug. 3, 2026) at St. John’s Church, Olean.  Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, West Leyden, at the convenience of the family.

Flowers are gratefully declined. If desired, memorials may be made to the Fr. Bill Brown, OFM Mission Club, P.O. Box 464, Wellsville, NY 14895; or to the Hinsdale Fire Department, P.O. Box 211, Hinsdale, NY 14743.

The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the staff at The Pines in Machias for the exceptional care given to both Norbert and his wife during the past four months of his stay.