Obituary of Joseph Baxter Rittenberry

Joseph Baxter Rittenberry (age 59), of Summerville, SC, succumbed to his long battle with cancer at 6:30 pm on 10 February 2021 while in the care of Agape Hospice of SC. Born 26 June 1961 and named after his Grandfather, Joe gained many aliases over the years. As a child he once said, “I not Dody, I Superman!” and gained the name “Superman”. Growing up his parents, Charles Cecil Rittenberry (deceased) and Margaret Dube Rittenberry, addressed him as “Jody” – as did his siblings, Theresa Bergmann and Brian Rittenberry. Jody graduated from East Hardin High located in Glendale, KY in 1979. However, as an adult he chose to go by “Joe”.

Joe joined the USAF on 9 January 1980, where he became a certified bio-medical equipment repairer. Subsequent to his time in the USAF, he went on to join the US Army 25 October 1989, employed in the same field of work. It was during this time that Joe met his wife of 30 years, Dorothy Sistar.

While deployed, Joe witnessed and experienced first-hand the devastation of war, seeing some of his comrades injured or killed (some due to SCUD missiles).  His unit was the first fully deployed hospital in the Desert Shield / Storm operation. Unfortunately, he was also exposed to many other hazards while deployed that led to the cancer that eventually took his life.

Being a dual military couple, military deployments created numerous separations.  However, it also offered the chance for numerous shared adventures around the world. They were married 10 years before being blessed with their son, Justin Rittenberry, on 25 November 2000.

Joe was passionate about many things: helping others, his job, working on and building computers, and flying both his plane and his flight simulator. Joe had a great sense of humor, never shied away from any kind of argument, and loved his family fiercely.

Although he suffered greatly his final few months, Joe had no regrets and felt he had lived a full life with many blessings. Per Joe’s wishes, he will be cremated.  He is survived by his wife Dorothy and son Justin, mother Margaret Rittenberry, sister Theresa Bergmann, and brother Brian Rittenberry. Any memories you may have of him that you’d like to share can be uploaded on the Simplicity (Lowcountryfuneral.com) website.