COLUMBUS
Mary Imogene (Jean) Bryan Hittle, 98, of Columbus, Indiana passed away peacefully on Friday, April 19th at Four Seasons Retirement Center.
Mary Jean was born on March 7, 1926, in Olney, Maryland, the daughter of James Ellis and Beulah Francis Thompson Bryan. She was the youngest of 11 children. A graduate of Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring, Maryland, she married Eugene C. Hittle on December 22, 1945, as World War II was winding down.
Mary Jean and Eugene were founding members of St. Columba Catholic Church where she served as president of the Alter Society for several terms. She was an avid bridge player and greatly enjoyed playing in and hosting many different bridge groups. Mary Jean also enjoyed bowling and participated in many different leagues with friends through the years. Her flower gardens were often the talk of the neighborhood when they were in full bloom. Most of all, Mary Jean loved being Mom to five children, Grandma to twelve, and Great Grandma to thirteen.
Survivors include her sons Conrad (Marijane) Hittle of Edinburgh, Brian (Susan) Hittle of Elizabethtown, Timothy (Emily) Hittle of San Francisco, CA and Daniel (Patricia) Hittle of Columbus, and a daughter, Colleen (Bradford) Stone of Apple Valley, MN. Also surviving are her 12 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Eugene, and all 10 of her siblings.
A Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 25, 2024, at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, 1306 27th St., Columbus, IN 47201 with Father Clem Davis officiating. A live stream of the service will be available at 10:30 a.m. Thursday by going to the church’s website: www.saintbartholomew.org and click on “Live &Recorded Masses”. Calling hours will be one hour prior to the service on Thursday at the church. Mary Jean will be laid to rest beside her husband Eugene at Garland Brook Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Our Hospice of South-Central Indiana.
Arrangements were entrusted to Jewell-Rittman Family Funeral Home.
