Martin A. Chittum

Martin A. Chittum, Sr., 72, of rural Sharpsville, Indiana, died at home Friday, November 12, 2021. Marty was born in Morgantown, West Virginia on October 4, 1949 to George D. Chittum, Jr. and Betty V. (Valentine) Chittum. He met Mary K. Harter in Morgantown, WV and after a short courtship they were wed on August 30, 1969.

Martin served in the U.S. Navy in the late 1960s, stationed at Naval Station at Great Lakes where he taught in Electronics School. Marty trained as an electrical engineer, attending West Virginia University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He was employed at Astronautics Corporation of America in Milwaukee, Delco Div. General Motors in Oak Creek, WI. In 1984, Marty and his family moved to Indiana when he transferred to Delco (later Delphi) Kokomo. He stayed there until he retired in 2001.

Marty a was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Tipton, IN, where he served as an Elder and taught an adult Sunday School class. He was an avid amateur(ham) radio operator starting when he was 14 years-old and his most recent call sign was W9XN. He was a member of the Amateur Radio Relay League and Ten-Ten International Net. Marty held an Amateur Extra license, the highest FCC license possible for amateur radio, and he often participated in radio call competitions.

Baseball was also a passion of Marty’s, in particular playing the strategy game Strat-o-Matic. Marty formed one of the early Strat leagues in Milwaukee and introduced a number of players to the game over the years. He also had a love of music, playing bass in several bands in Morgantown and Milwaukee, and listening to music from all over the world thanks to his amateur radio. He was an avid hockey fan, especially of his Pittsburgh Penguins.

Beside his wife Mary, Marty is survived by his mother, Betty Chittum of Westover, West Virginia; son Martin A. Chittum, Jr. And his wife Ni (Zhang) Chittum of Homer, NY; son George D. Chittum IV and his partner Kate Richmond; son John R. Chittum and partner Alison DeSimone of Kansas City, MO; and brother George D. Chittum III and wife Mary Ellen of Florida.

It was Marty’s wish to be buried back in West Virginia. Graveside services will be conducted at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23 at Beverly Hills Cemetery in Westover, West Virginia. A memorial service is being planned for later at First Presbyterian Church in Tipton. Young-Nichols Funeral Home is honored to be assisting the Chittum family with Marty’s arrangements.

Memorial contributions in Marty’s memory may be made to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, New York, 10306.