Gerard William Wittstadt Sr., a retired judge of the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore County, died of a circulatory condition on Dec. 3 at his Riderwood home. He was 92.

Born in Baltimore and raised in Highlandtown and Dundalk, he was the son of John Wittstadt, a Bethlehem Steel shop foreman and Helen C. Whelan, a homemaker. He was a 1951 graduate of Mount Saint Joseph High School and served in the Marine Corps.

He was a graduate of the University of Maryland College Park as well as the university’s law school. He served on the Law Review and was class president.

Mr. Wittstadt served with Proctor, Royston & Mueller in Towson before setting up a Dundalk law practice.

“He loved spending time with his family at his home in Deep Creek Lake or at Estero, Florida,” said his granddaughter, Ashley Garnher. “He also served sour beef and dumplings at family dinners or some other authentic German dishes. He also liked roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.”

He was the vice-chair of the Baltimore County Citizens for John F. Kennedy for President in 1960. He then was named a Maryland assistant attorney general and became chair of the Baltimore County Draft Board.

Gov. Marvin Mandel named Mr. Wittstadt to the Baltimore County District Court in 1976. He retired in 1992 and then established a legal practice with his sons.

“Gerry could be strict and stern but tried to do everything he could to put those who appeared before him on the right track away from continued criminal behavior.” Retired Judge John F. Face II said.

A family obituary composed by Mr. Wittstadt’s children echoed that sentiment.

“He was a student of the law and demanded and expected lawyers appearing before him to be prepared and ready to argue their client’s position,” the obituary read. “Some mistook his requirements as harsh, and would sometimes try to avoid appearing before him. He understood the law and would truly evaluate the facts and apply them accordingly.”

He founded and was president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Greater Dundalk in 1958. In 1961, he co-founded the Catholic Alumni Club of Baltimore, where he met his future wife, Rosemary Kimmel “Kimmie” Hill. They married on June 16, 1962.

Family members said Mr. Wittstadt was a meticulous flower gardener and delighted in keeping his lawn free of weeds.

Mr. Wittstadt, who was devoted to family genealogy, was a collateral descendent of Baron Johann DeKalb, a Revolutionary War major general.

Mr. Wittstadt was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati in Maryland and the German Society of Maryland. The Federal Republic of Germany named him a Distinguished German American and gave him the Distinguished Service Cross,

A requiem Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Immaculate Conception Church in Towson.

Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Rosemary Kimmel Hill Wittstadt, a Towson University nursing professor; three sons, Gerard William Wittstadt Jr. of Glyndon, Mark Hill Wittstadt of Hunt Valley, and John Kimmel Wittstadt of Baltimore; two daughters, Rosemary Wittstadt Padgett of Leonardtown, and Ann Wittstadt Watson of Towson; a sister, Kathleen Wittstadt Mustachio of Harleysville, Pennsylvania; a brother, C. Terrance Wittstadt of Bethany Beach, Delaware; 16 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

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