SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Rachel Jane Atkinson Bittner, 92, died peacefully at her home on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. She was born Dec. 5, 1926, in Cavendish, Vermont the daughter of Will and May Murray Atkinson. She graduated from Brattleboro High School, class of 1944. She was married to John P. “Jack” Bittner on May 11, 1946, in Brattleboro.
Survivors include her children, Susan Lawler of Muskego, Wisconsin; Anne Bittner of Sierra Madre, California; Barbara Heublein and husband Bruce of Cayucos, California; Jean Christensen of Columbia Heights, Minnesota; Robert Bittner of Redway, California; Edith Brown and husband Wally of Chester, Vermont; John Bittner of Germany; Marilyn D’Ambrosio and husband Tony of Canton, Maine; George Bittner and wife Mary of Chester, Vermont; Shelly Crawford and husband Rick of Rockingham, Vermont; Jeffrey Bittner of Claremont; and Fred Bittner and wife Christine of Gilbert, Arizona. She was the proud, loving, and much loved grandmother of 33 and great-grandmother of 41.
She was predeceased by her husband Jack, her son Ben, her son-in-law Ronald Lawler, and her sisters Harriet Emery and Ethel Smith.
She lived her entire life in New England, including in Cavendish, Dummerston, Brattleboro, Westminster West, Derby, Chester, and Springfield where she was a parishioner of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. She moved to Muskego, Wisconsin in 2015 to make her home with daughter Susan.
Throughout her life, she was an exemplary mother and a helpmate and partner to her husband Jack, working side by side with him in his various business ventures and construction projects. She was also accomplished at sewing and at designing and crafting hooked rugs. She was unbeatable at Chinese checkers, and she enjoyed competitive family card games.
A memorial service will be held at a later date, and burial will take place in the Cavendish Center Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to Springfield Vermont Meals on Wheels or to a charity of your choice.
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