Barbara Watson Bittman passed away on Saturday, November 30, 2019 at her home. She was 75. Filled with energy, humor and the joy of life, she made the lives of those around her the better for having been in the circle of her being. Born in Lake City, Florida, the daughter of the late Calvin W. and Willie Mae Langston Watson, she graduated from Suwannee and attended The University of Florida. While in Gainesville, she met a young graduate student who didn’t have a television on which to watch Batman. She and her roommate did. From that intellectual foundation grew a relationship which ultimately became a romance and a marriage that lasted for 50 years.
Barbara’s enthusiasms were many, but her family was the first among them. Stanley felt as if he never really deserved her. Maggie and Emily believe she was absolutely the best mother. When she became a grandmother, Sam, Leah, Josh, and Addy knew she was the world’s only Mimi.
Barbara was a voracious reader, always learning, growing, seeking to understand. She had a love for adventure. She didn’t become just a certified scuba diver; she followed that with training to become a rescue diver. Barbara was devoted to her family and her community. Girls, Inc. was a commitment to which she applied herself as a board member and as president. She wanted her love of learning to be shared by others, so she served on The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. Barbara believed in engagement, demonstrated by her involvement with the League of Women Voters. She believed in giving back and worked tirelessly with the Junior League of Owensboro. She believed in the value of work and retired from the Owensboro Public Schools, having served as secretary of Estes and Sutton Schools and for the Kentucky Wesleyan College theatre department.
Those who honor and cherish her memory include her husband of 50 years, Dr. Stanley A. Bittman; her daughters and their husbands Maggie Sergeant (Steve) and Emily Edwards (Chris); her grandchildren Sam Sergeant and Leah Sergeant, Josh Edwards and Addy Reese Edwards; and her brothers Gary Watson (Nancy) Mitch Watson, Phillip Watson (Sue), Donald Watson (Lori), and Ray Watson.
The life of Barbara Bittman will be celebrated at 12:00 noon Saturday at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory, where friends may gather with the family from 10:00 a.m. until the beginning of the celebration. Private interment will be in Owensboro Memorial Gardens. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to Girls, Inc. 2130 G East 19th Street, Owensboro, KY 42303 or Backpacks for Kids, a food distribution program at Estes Elementary School, 1675 Leitchfield Road, Owensboro, KY 42303. Memories and messages of condolence for the family of Barbara Bittman may be shared at www.glenncares.com.