Norman John Gittere

May 16, 1928 through January 6, 2020

Born May 16, 1928, to Mary and John E. Gittere of Buffalo, N.Y., Norman John Gittere attended Kensington High School. He was a true athlete as a southpaw pitcher for the U.S. Army Eighth Infantry stationed in Germany in the early 1950's. The husky lefthander rose through the professional baseball ranks pitching for the Sioux Falls baseball team as well as the Chicago Cubs.  While pitching for the Army, Norman successfully pitched the team to the GI World Series title in Germany in 1951 winning 50 of 58 games.  While playing in the minor league system, he twirled a no-hitter and held a .300 plus batting average.

After retiring from baseball, Norman joined his father and brother Robert with the family-owned Gittere & Sons landscaping firm established in Buffalo in 1919.  In 1969, Norman took over the head and changed the firm name to Norman J. Gittere Landscaping, Inc.  After several decades of success, including the maintenance of several renowned estates as well as the Buffalo Waterfront project in the late 1970's, Norman semi-retired when he sold his business in 1992 to Jerry's Landscaping. Today, in Buffalo, you can see Norman's gardening works of art all over the city.

An avid ice fisherman, Norman won many fresh lake perch contests held at his favorite fishing hole, Conesus Lake, N.Y.

After falling head over heels, he was married 65 years to Myra.  They moved to Jupiter, Florida in 1999 from Cheektowaga, N.Y., and he lived there until his passing. They spent their summers in Seattle and on Camano Island.

Norman is survived by his wife Myra; a daughter, Kim of Seattle and her husband Michael, and a daughter Tracey of Franklin Square, N.Y.  He is also survived by one grandson, Andrew and his wife Megan, of Seattle.

Norman will be cremated and his ashes will be spread at Conesus Lake, N.Y.  As a veteran, he will be memorialized over the summer with military honors at Tahoma National Cemetery near Seattle, Washington.  Please feel free to share a remembrance or message of condolence with the family through this online guestbook, no flowers or donations necessary.