Earl Hitt

Earl Elwood Hitt, 78, of Bridgeton, Mo., died Thursday, Sept. 15, 2005, at DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton.

He was born Jan. 15, 1927, in Jackson, son of William Price and Pauline Bethe Hitt.

Earl graduated from Jackson High School in 1944. After graduation he entered the Navy and joined the V5, later called the V12 Officer Training Program.

After the Navy he attained his undergraduate degrees from Southeast Missouri State University, and his master's in education from the University of Missouri.

Earl was a teacher, volleyball and basketball coach, principal, and then superintendent of schools in Lesterville, Mo. He went to work for IBM in St. Louis in 1957, where he quickly moved up to consulting systems engineer, retiring in 1987.

He loved playing volleyball, bridge and carpentry projects.

Survivors include a daughter, Lisa (Matt) Bretscher of Creve Coeur, Mo.; a brother, Jerry (Marlene) Hitt of Atlanta, Ga.; three grandchildren, Joshua Earl, Morgan Elizabeth and Lauren Elisabeth Bretscher of Creve Coeur; a good friend, Merle Wilson, and her family, Ted, Beth and Savannah Wilson.

Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Monica Catholic Church, 12136 Olive Blvd., in Creve Coeur.

Graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson, with the Rev. Sam Roethemeyer officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Jackson High School Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of local arrangements.