Hubert (HNHugh) Nathaniel Whitten, Jr.

Hubert (HN/Hugh) Nathaniel Whitten Jr., 95, of Bridgewater, passed away on Sunday, July 21, 2024, at Bridgewater Retirement Community.

He was born on August 3, 1928, in Goode, Virginia and was a son of Hubert N Whitten, Sr. and Mary Davis Snow. He graduated with a High School diploma in 1945 from New London Academy in Forest, VA, then attended Bridgewater College in the fall of that year, where he met Virginia Esther Bittinger (Ginny). They both graduated in the spring of 1949, got married on June 10th less than a month later, and spent the first year of marriage teaching.

Hugh graduated from Bethany Seminary in 1953 and served for 3 years as a pastor in the Church of the Brethren. After moving to Elgin in 1956, he worked at Owens Illinois for a few years, then turned to teaching as a calling.

While teaching at Elgin Academy, he took graduate classes at Northern Illinois University, receiving a Masters of Arts degree in 1970. He then taught in the Elgin Public School system until 1988. After retiring, he and Ginny moved back to Bridgewater and were soon called by the Church to teach English in Prague, Czech Republic for a year. After returning to Bridgewater, he was privileged to teach a few courses at Bridgewater College and at James Madison University for several years.

He and Ginny were members of Bridgewater Church of the Brethren for more than 30 years. He served in many capacities including Adult Sunday School teacher, Ministry Services Committee Chair, Bridgewater Home Aux, and served as coordinator for the Three-Year-Reading Program of the Shenandoah District of the Church of the Brethren. He and Ginny served as counselors in the Marriage Savers program and he was active in a local poetry group.

Hugh and Ginny (who preceded him in death in May of 2022) were married for almost 73 years.

In addition to his parents and wife, he is preceded in death by his sister, Virginia Pollard, and a son-in-law, Ron Reich.

Surviving are all four children - Sharon Reich, Rhonda Whitten, David Whitten (Judith), and Wendy Whitten (Fred Ortiz), 12 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren.

Celebration of life will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, August 17 at Bridgewater COB.

In lieu of flowers, you may donate to the Bridgewater Church of the Brethren or to the Brethren Retirement Community.

Arrangements are entrusted to Johnson Funeral and Cremation Service in Bridgewater, VA.