Remembering Sister Alice Wittenbach
By Lauryn Jelsema, Aquinas reporter
Sister Alice Wittenbach, a former teacher at Aquinas and the school’s full-time Alumni Reunion Coordinator, passed away on Sept. 19, 2025. She was 88 years old and a Dominican Sister for 67 years.
Wittenbach was born on July 4, 1937, in Belding, Michigan, to Leo and Maxine Wittenbach. She was the oldest of her four siblings: Johnny, the twins Jim and Tim, and Pat.
Wittenbach grew up in a small town on her family’s farm, where she attended a one-room public school before moving on to St. Patrick’s High School. Despite having limited access to the academic world in her early years, a mobile library would visit the school, which helped spark her love for learning.
In her 60th Jubilee reflection, Wittenbach stated that she had always enjoyed school. “That love of education saw me through high school and into college. I followed my mother’s advice to go to Aquinas College… That decision, of course, paved the way for the rest of my life,” she wrote.
While at Aquinas, Wittenbach met the Dominican Sisters for the first time. As a college junior, she entered the congregation, receiving the name Sr. Marie Elise after her beloved grandmother, before later returning to her baptismal name.
After graduating, she traveled to the University of Oklahoma, where she earned a Master’s in Natural Science and a Doctorate in Philosophy in Botany. She also continued her studies at the University of North Carolina and Duke University.
Upon returning to Grand Rapids, Wittenbach took up a teaching position for AQ’s ministry and continued to educate students for 36 years. “She inspired many a pupil to take up further studies in science and environmental studies, and activism,” said fellow sister Mary Ann Barrett. Her love for the environment bled into her teaching style, as she often held classes outdoors, leading students on trips to take in the local nature.
After retiring from her teaching position, Sr. Alice became the full-time Alumni Reunion Coordinator. In 2013, in recognition of her work and dedication to the college, she was inducted into the Aquinas Hall of Fame.
Barrett, one of Wittenbach’s close friends, reflected on her life in an interview with The Saint: “A friend described Sr. Alice as a woman with a radiant smile and joyful spirit. What an appropriate picture of a woman who loved biology/botany/science and teaching… She is missed by her family, AQ friends, and Dominican Sisters. She lives in Glory with the God who gifted her so richly.”
Sr. Alice, as a young educator, teaches students in a geology class – Photo by Aquinas College
The Saint 