Emmert Foster Bittinger

Emmert Foster Bittinger, 99, passed away Monday, May 12, 2025 at Serenity House of Bridgewater Retirement Community, Bridgewater, VA. He was born Sept. 22, 1925 at Jordan Run, WV to parents, Foster and Esther Bair Bittinger.

Emmert was an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren, and pastored at seven churches in West Virginia and Maryland. After earning his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Maryland, he dedicated his professional life to teaching Sociology and Anthropology at his alma mater, Bridgewater College.

Emmert’s life was filled with passions and hobbies, both professional and personal. He authored and edited numerous publications, the most notable of which are Heritage and Promise (1970), Allegheny Passage: Churches and Families of the West Marva District (1990), and Unionists and the Civil War Experience in the Shenandoah Valley (6 volumes). He will be known for his comprehensive work in genealogy and church history, his leadership of the John Kline Memorial Riders, his love of nature and travel, his gardening and beekeeping, and his prowess on the tennis court.

Emmert shared 77 years of marriage with his wife, Esther Landis Bittinger, who survives.

In addition to his wife, Emmert is survived by three daughters, Lorraine Lineweaver (David) of Bridgewater, VA; Mildred Arnett (Ronald) of Shippensburg, PA; and Marion Bittinger (Antonio Martinez) of Verona, VA; 6 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his sisters, Virginia Whitten, Annabelle Whitacre, and Kathleen Wambolt.

The family would especially like to thank the caregivers of Serenity House at Bridgewater Retirement Community for the kind and attentive care they have provided to Emmert and his family.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, May 18 at 3pm at Bridgewater Church of the Brethren. Interment of ashes will be at a later date in the Eglon Community Cemetery, Eglon, WV. Donations in Emmert’s memory can be made to Heifer International or the Dr. Emmert F. Bittinger Endowed Fund of Bridgewater College.