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Former Southampton resident Glenn Hitt of Warminster, Pennsylvania, died at his home, with family at his side, on September 30. He was 96.
Mr. Hitt was born in Weston, West Virginia, on April 4, 1917, the youngest of 11 children. He served with the Army-Battery B 1st Antiaircraft Artillery Guided Missile Battalion in Europe during World War II. After the war, he attended Strayer Business College in Washington, D.C., and went to work for more than 33 years with the U.S. government, starting at the Pentagon and later with the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served with the Office of Finance, both at headquarters and overseas. His home base was Vienna, Virginia, in the 1960s and ’70s, and he returned there between postings to Rome, Italy and Frankfurt, Germany. His wife’s hometown of Southampton also became the family home from 1984 to 2005, after which the couple moved to Ann’s Choice, a retirement community in Warminster. Mr. Hitt felt especially fortunate to have “landed” at Ann’s Choice, which provided them with a close community, creature comforts, and access to wonderful medical and emotional care right on-site, survivors said.
When living in Rome (1964 to 1968), Mr. Hitt enjoyed driving his five daughters to the countryside and getting to know the local folks. In Frankfurt (1973 to 1974), he did the same with his two youngest girls. He retired in June 1974, while his youngest girls were still in high school and the eldest two had already married, giving him extra time to enjoy his growing family. A family decision was made to become involved with the American Field Service program, and the family had the pleasure of “adopting” two foreign exchange students, each for a year-long period. The first was Anne Kari Thorsrud of Norway, whom Mr. Hitt considered to be “his sixth daughter,” and the second was Mamar Mezidi, a French Algerian student, the only “son” to actually live in the house with him. Mr. Hitt also volunteered to be a chaperone for the Madison High School band, and that was an assignment he always talked about because he loved every minute he was with the students, survivors said.
After his retirement from government service, he kept busy by working for a few years at a local hardware store in Vienna. He volunteered for Meals on Wheels and was very active in the Vienna Optimist Club. After their move to Southampton in 1984, he continued his work with Meals on Wheels, volunteered at Southampton Hospital, was an active member of the Southampton Lions Club, served as president of the Southampton Cove Association and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, where he served on the nominating committee to search for a new pastor. A few of his many favorite pastimes were gardening and working in his wood shop. He became “famous” for his marigolds and roses. Mr. Hitt was a family man and just waited for the girls and grandchildren to visit so he could take them water-skiing and fishing.
Survivors said the wonderful way he lived his life has inspired others.
He was predeceased by his parents, Iza and Edward Hitt, 10 siblings and his first wife, Agnes Stipe, the mother of his first four daughters. Mr. Hitt is survived by his wife of 53 years, Pamela Bennett Hitt, who became a mother to his girls and also gave him a fifth daughter. Their families include: Patt Tiemeier and husband Don of Missouri; Eileen Fullerton and husband David of Massachusetts; Kate Hitt of California; Cyndy Kent and husband Don of Maryland; and Dee Walsh and husband Bucky of Virginia. He is also survived by grandchildren, Christopher John, Frank (Rusty) Stout, Amy Milligan and husband Sean, Mason Walsh, Bianca Clark and Elizabeth Coles and husband John; and by great-grandchildren, Kailyn, Sarah, and Jake.
A memorial service took place at Ann’s Choice Chapel on October 5. Mr. Hitt’s ashes were to be interred in a private family ceremony in Southampton at a later date.
on Oct 7, 2013