Cranbury loses a longtime friend

Lifetime resident Emil Witt passes away this week

By: Matt Kirdahy
   Emil C. Witt died shortly after doing something he loved.
   "He loved to cook, especially soup. He always brought over his soup in a large container so we could share it. And that’s what he was doing at our house after the snowstorm," said longtime friend Marie Christiansen.
   Emil Witt died at the Medical Center at Princeton on Monday after he collapsed in the snow near his home. He was on his way home from the Christiansens and had just delivered a batch of homemade soup to Ms. Christiansen and her husband, Jim.
   Emil Witt was born in 1921 and lived in Cranbury all his life. When he started attending the Cranbury School in kindergarten, he rode in a horse-drawn carryall from the Ferm Barcolo Farm. He owned a farm on Ancil Davidson Road until 1957. After selling the farm, he worked for Hermann Trucking in North Brunswick and then retired in 1982.
   Ms. Christiansen had been a neighbor of Emil Witt since she married his childhood friend, Mr. Christiansen, 14 years ago.
   His son, Tom Witt, said his father was someone with an unpolished exterior, which hid the workings of a gentle and refined man.
   "My father always seemed a little harder on the outside, but he was a good guy," Mr. Witt said.
   Others in the community agreed.
   Teddy Nikitiades, owner of Teddy’s Restaurant at 49 N. Main St., had been close with Emil Witt ever since the restaurant opened in Cranbury in 1973.
   "Emil was always a good man," Mr. Nikitiades said. "He would come in early to the restaurant sometimes, even though it wasn’t his job, and help open the store. He’d even serve customers."
   Mr. Nikitiades said Emil Witt made it a ritual on St. Patrick’s Day to serve his "special" corned beef and cabbage.
   "He came to the restaurant and with no cost to the customers served everyone a plate," he said. "No one really does things like that anymore. I’ll miss him."
   Emil Witt was a fireman in Cranbury for 55 years and the fire chief from 1972 to 1973. He helped found the township First Aid Squad. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II and was a member of the Hightstown Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5700.
   Tom Witt said his father always found the time for him.
   "He supported me in everything I did," he said. "I’ll miss him dearly."
   Ms. Christiansen felt the same way. She said Emil Witt and her husband were friends for 75 years. They attended the same schools and spent most of their leisure time together as kids, only to become neighbors in their adult life.
   Ms. Christiansen said her family used to take regular trips to visit Emil Witt and look at his healthy garden.
   "Emil made it a ritual to bring over asparagus, sweet potatoes, corn and anything else he bought or grew," she said.
   Emil Witt’s wife, Esther, is deceased. He is survived by his son, Thomas, and his daughter-in-law, Linda, both of Cranbury, as well as several nieces and nephews.
   Funeral services will be held today (Friday) at 10 a.m. at A.S. Cole Son & Co. Funeral Home, 22 N. Main St. The Rev. Dr. Louis Mitchell is officiating. Burial will follow at Brainerd Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made in Emil Witt’s memory to the Cranbury First Aid Squad at 68 Maplewood Ave. or the Cranbury Fire Company at 2 S. Main St.