Genevieve Cregger Witt
Genevieve Marguerite Cregger Witt left this earth for her heavenly home on Friday, July 5, 2024.
Genevieve (Gam) was born in Roanoke, Va., on July 25, 1921, to Jennie Lou Cregger and Clark McKinley Cregger. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband of 57 years, Charles William Witt; her daughter, Phyllis Jannette Bayne; brother, Clark McKinley Cregger II; sister, Dorothy Kent Ayers; and grandsons, Darrin Todd Bailey and Gregory Neil Bailey.
She is survived by 2 daughters, Sylvia Bailey (Perry) and Cynthia Calaway (Mike); 7 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
Genevieve was baptized at Salem Church of Christ in 1935, and was the oldest living member of the church. She began the first nursery, taught the Beginners Class for 50 years, served as an elder’s wife for 35 years, and traveled throughout Virginia with her husband as he served as a lay minister. She wrote the church history and was active in the Virginia Evangelizing Fellowship (Waypoint) since its inception. Genevieve and her husband founded the Young at Heart, where she was known as the “Fearless Leader” planning monthly meetings and leading bus tours to historical churches, homes, and tourist attractions along the Eastern states and Canada.
A woman of many talents and skills, Genevieve’s paintings took first place awards in various art shows; her paintings of local landmarks (Longwood, Mabry Mill, Webber House, Salem Presbyterian Church, and others) were commissioned by many. She also enjoyed decorative eggery (Feberge style), and her creations were celebrated throughout the region.
Genevieve modeled to her family and friends how to be an active and effective servant of her Lord. Today she is hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joys of the Lord.”
Among her most lasting talents are the many poems she wrote which revealed her love for God and for her family. Below are a few of her best.
“MY PRAYER”
Dear God, I do not ask that I be spared for joys that life can give—
But spare me, Lord, that I might teach my loves ones how to live.
They need my hand to guide them ‘til they can walk alone;
They need my prayers, dear Father, ‘til they can make their own.
God, grant me strength to teach them the things You’d have them do;
To help them understand Thy will, and faithfully keep it, too.
Dear Father, give me yet some years, tho’ touched with pain they be.
Spare me so that I might bring my loved ones close to Thee. Amen
“LOST”
Why do people hurry about?
Why do they rush to and fro?
Why do they hurry and push and shout?
Where do they want to go?
We are so concerned with trying to “get”
That we haven’t the time to “give”—
So busy trying to rush through life
That we haven’t the time to live.
What a pity to waste a sunset,
Or a rainbow in the sky.
What treasures we lose in our haste to gain!
What gems miss our anxious eye!
Our Father asks us to trust Him,
To take no thought for the day.
He’s promised to clothe us in beauty
Like lilies in gorgeous array.
But man is ever too busy
To hear what the Master would say.
He’s too busy trying to go somewhere
To know that he’s lost “the way.”
John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
“MY WILL”
What can I leave to my children?
I want to give them so much.
I can’t leave them silver or gold,
For I haven’t the “Midas” touch.
I would like to leave them courage
And a trust in the human race—
A faith in God to sustain them
Through whatever trials they may face.
But I cannot give these virtues;
Each man must earn his own
By the life he lives before others
And the fruits his labors have shown.
I have but one thing to give them,
To each an equal part.
This gift I will leave to my children—
The love of a mother’s heart.
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord…they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at the John M. Oakey & Son Chapel in Salem, Va.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Thailand Mission c/o Salem Church of Christ, 401 West Main St., Salem, Va. 24153. Online condolences may be expressed at www.johnmoakey.com.
