The Rev. Walter W. Witte of Oak Bluffs died at Massachusetts General Hospital on Dec. 12. He was 89.

Father Witte, the son of Walter W. Witte Sr. and Pauline Praker Witte, was born on Sept. 11, 1927 and grew up in North Tonawanda, N.Y. He was a graduate of Hobart College, The Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University and Union Theological Seminary in New York. Ordained to the priesthood in 1954, he served churches in the dioceses of western New York, Missouri, Newark, Springfield and Massachusetts.

As a bi-vocational priest, he worked as personnel director at St. Louis City Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri and at The St. Louis Housing Authority. He also was a vice-president at Drake Beam Morin and at New Directions, both in Boston.

He is survived by his wife Patricia, his son Matthew Witte and his wife Roslynn, his stepchildren, Margaret Heffner and her husband Terry and Michael Griffin and his wife Megan, and his step grandchildren, Deanna and Tricia Heffner, Britnee Knox, and Brandon and Blake Griffin. He was predeceased by his sister Karen Witte Hutt.

His funeral will take place on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 11 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Church in Edgartown.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Father Witte’s memory may be made to The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, 780 Albany St., Boston, MA 02118; The Animal Rescue League of Boston, 10 Chandler St., Boston, MA 02116; or St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 73 Columbia Rd., Dorchester, MA 02121.