†Sister Alice Wittenbach, OP

Deceased

July 4, 1937 – September 19, 2025

Entered eternal life on September 19, 2025 at the age of 88 after 67 years of religious life. We commend Sister Alice to your prayers.

“The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” G.M. Hopkins

On July 4, 1937, in Belding, Michigan, Leo and Maxine Wittenbach welcomed their first child and named her Alice June. Later she was joined by three brothers, Johnny, twins, Jim and Tim, as well as one sister, Pat. Early memories include the thrill of the bookmobile’s visit, the arrival of new lambs and harvesting apples in the family’s orchard – experiences that planted in her the seeds of lifelong love for growing things.

Sr. Alice began her education in a one-room public school and continued at St. Patrick’s High School, Parnell. In her junior year at Aquinas College, Sr. Alice entered the congregation at Marywood, receiving the name Sr. Marie Elise after her beloved grandmother. Later in life she returned to her baptismal name.

After profession, she began her teaching career at Catholic Central, Muskegon teaching English and Biology for five years. In 1965, she and Sr. Barbara Hansen were able to pursue graduate studies in science through grants and scholarships. Together they traveled to the University of Oklahoma where Sr. Alice earned a Master of Natural Science degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in Botany.

Returning to Grand Rapids, Sr. Alice began teaching at Aquinas College. Thus began a lifetime of teaching, learning and serving with a joyful and energetic spirit. She led students on field trips to bogs, streams, ponds, wildflower areas, lakes and grassland habitats providing much more than book learning. One needed good boots as well as books in Sr. Alice’s classes. Her teaching embodied the conviction: “The more we know and love the Earth, the more we will appreciate it, and the more we will learn to live in such ways that protect Earth’s goodness.”

Summers were filled with travel and study to expand her knowledge and enrich her teaching. She studied tropical ecosystems in Puerto Rico and Panama, and honed skills in interdisciplinary approaches to environmental studies at several universities in the Midwest. During a sabbatical year, Sr. Alice studied local flora and global ecosystems at the University of North Carolina and Duke University. In all her studies and travels, Sr. Alice expressed gratitude for the opportunities and expressed an eagerness to share her learning with others.

Sr. Alice joined the Humanities Department at Aquinas when that option became available and attended workshops and seminars to prepare to teach in this multidisciplinary program. Thus, the scientist stretched her teaching to include art, music, philosophy and so much more.

A boundless joy for Sr. Alice was her many turns as co-director of the Aquinas Ireland Overseas Program at Tully Cross. Over the course of eight (nonconsecutive) semesters, she grew in her love and admiration for all things Irish. Here too, she learned, along with her students, about the marine environment which was diverse from that of the Great Lakes region.

Her friendly spirit and love for Ireland was infectious and recognized beyond the Erin Island. In 2012, the Spirit of Ireland Award by the Rev. John Whalen McGee Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians was granted to Sr. Alice in recognition of her “shining example of Ireland, the Irish people and the true spirit of Ireland.” In 2015 Sr. Alice was inducted into the Michigan Irish American Hall of Fame.

After thirty-six years of teaching, Sr. Alice became the full-time Alumni Reunion Coordinator, a role perfectly suited to her warm personality and dedication to Aquinas College. Recognizing her generous contribution and deep love for the college, Sr. Alice was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

Outside the college Sr. Alice served on several Boards including the Grand Rapids Urban League, Inner City Christian Federation, and Genesis Nonprofit Housing Corporation (NPHC) to name but a few.

Closer to home Sr. Alice served on the Marywood Grounds Committee, working with others to plant trees and reduce herbicide use endangering wildlife and birdlife. She also served on the Marywood Global Concerns Committee and received the 2016 Woman of Vision Award by the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC).

Sr. Alice was energetic, outgoing, and generous. She enjoyed reading, listening to music, hiking, camping, and photography. At the time of her Golden Jubilee, she voiced gratitude that her Dominican vocation provided “endless opportunities for education and teaching, for spiritual growth and the challenge of new ideas and personal insights, for friendships and for travel, all rich experiences which have expanded my notions of who I am and who God expects me to be.”

A scientist with a poet’s heart, she once wrote:

The cattails dance before God in unchoreographed design
Haphazard – yet beautiful,
Swaying in breezes of cosmic origin.
They praise God in place, rooted.
Even as I sway in place, am I attentive to God’s presence in me?

Sr. Alice’s life was rich with friendships, music, laughter, and love for all Creation. She has begun her last journey now to Tir N’Og, that heavenly home of a thousand welcomes. We do not say good-bye dear Alice but rather wish you “safe home” to be enfolded in the loving embrace of all you have loved and who love you still.

Sr. Alice is survived by her brothers John and James (JoAnn) Wittenbach, sister Patricia (Jerry) Potter, other family; friends; and members of her Dominican Community.

Her knowledge of the trees and all flora and fauna at Marywood is deep and she is a delightful tour guide. During an Earth Day tour, Sr. Alice led tours for Sisters and described all the types of trees on our campus in Grand Rapids.

Her knowledge of the trees and all flora and fauna at Marywood is deep and she is a delightful tour guide. During an Earth Day tour, Sr. Alice led tours for Sisters and described all the types of trees on our campus in Grand Rapids.

Sister Alice Wittenbach O.P., Ph. D. '59 taught primarily biology and humanities at Aquinas College from 1969-2004. Here Sister Alice (standing far left), as a young educator, teaches students in a geology class.

Sister Alice Wittenbach O.P., Ph. D. '59 taught primarily biology and humanities at Aquinas College from 1969-2004. Here Sister Alice (standing far left), as a young educator, teaches students in a geology class.

Young women from area colleges all passionate about the environment cheered wildly when Sister Alice finished her acceptance speech upon receiving the Woman of Vision Award at the WMEAC Women and the Environment Symposium in 2016. Sister Alice has spent a lifetime sharing her knowledge and sense of wonder for the natural environment, seeding environmentally conscious thinkers by teaching scientific theory and shining light on environmental issues.

Young women from area colleges all passionate about the environment cheered wildly when Sister Alice finished her acceptance speech upon receiving the Woman of Vision Award at the WMEAC Women and the Environment Symposium in 2016. Sister Alice has spent a lifetime sharing her knowledge and sense of wonder for the natural environment, seeding environmentally conscious thinkers by teaching scientific theory and shining light on environmental issues.

Sister Alice gathers with Dominican Sisters at the pond at Marywood for a bit of exploration.

Sister Alice gathers with Dominican Sisters at the pond at Marywood for a bit of exploration.

Sister Alice with students at a pond on the Aquinas College campus.

Sister Alice with students at a pond on the Aquinas College campus.

60th Jubilee Reflection

“It is a Joy to Be Here.”

I have enjoyed my life, whether at home on the big farm, whether walking to school along the country roads, whether taking field trips to Mexico, whether learning all about Ireland or Switzerland or the places of Sts. John and Paul.

We kids took advantage of the bookmobile that came to our little one-room country school. As a gift, my mother enrolled us in the book of the month club.

I 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, even though I wanted to go to Michigan State University where my friends were going. That decision, of course, paved the way for the rest of my life.

At Aquinas I met the Dominican Sisters for the first time. I loved their joy and the delight they seemed to bring to each other. At the end of my Freshman year, I went to the Priest to tell him I thought I should go to the Convent, with the hope they would reject me and send me home. He told me that was no way to respond to a Religious vocation and to pray about it. A year later, God won out. I entered the Dominican Sisters as a College Junior, searching for that part of my life which had always seemed lacking. That decision has made all the difference in my life.