WITTA, Erma I., age 90

Died: Tuesday, August 25th, 2015

Celebration of Her Life: Saturday, September 19, 2015 with a gathering from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. at Briarwood Cottage's club house (5622 Gatehouse Terrace in Eau Claire) and a 11:30 a.m. Graveside Service at Forest Hill Cemetery in Eau Claire

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials be given to the charity of the donor's choosing.

Erma Ione Witta, age 90, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, August 25, 2015 at Dove Healthcare -West in Eau Claire. 

She was born on September 30, 1924 to the late Lauritz M. and Olga (Larson) Nelson on the family farm in Dovre Township near New Auburn. She was the youngest of five children.  Erma attended Goodman School nearby thru eight grades. 

At the age of 16, Erma left home to work as a maid for several years in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area. Erma worked at the Sterling Pulp & Paper Mill and Gillette Rubber Company during WWII. She met Robert James Witta while working at the Paper Mill in Eau Claire. They were married on November 27, 1945 at Zion Lutheran Church, Sand Creek, WI. 

In 1957, Erma, Bob and his brother Norm moved to Santa Cruz, California, where Bob worked as a mail carrier. They lived next in San Leandro, CA where Bob worked for the U.S. Postal Service on mail trains from Sacramento to Reno. Erma worked cleaning homes for several families at this time. They enjoyed bowling and won several couples league trophies. Many trips were taken to Reno, Vegas for shows and other activities. They traveled to Hawaii, Mexico, Alaska, Canada, and a Caribbean cruise and visiting friends and relatives in many states. 

Erma was prolific at sewing, crafts, cross stitch, needlework and more. Her work was impeccable in quality. After they retired, they built a house in Gault, CA. Bob passed away in June of 1993 and Erma continued to live in Gault until 1999. She then moved back to Eau Claire with the help of her sister, Esther and Dale Lampman. She lived at Briarwood Cottages until she suffered a stroke this spring. 

She was a special lady to both family and friends and is survived by her brother-in-law, Dale Lampman; fifteen nieces and nephews; best friend, Marge Smoot; along with many other family members and friends.

Erma was preceded in death by her husband, Bob; brothers, Johnny Nelson of California and Franklin Nelson of Eau Claire; sisters, Sybil Moe of Chetek and Esther Lampman of Eau Claire; and niece, Deborah (Nelson) Hays.