Dr. Ralph Ogden DeWitt Jr.

Dr. Ogden DeWitt, “Little Doc” to his local patients, passed away in his home, in the room that he designed and helped build, in the chair that he loved, looking out the window overlooking the land that he cared for, on June 14, 2022, just before his 80th birthday. Born on June 30, 1942, to Dr. Ralph and Anna May DeWitt, Ogden grew up playing on the bluff overlooking The Roubidoux Spring, graduated from Waynesville High School in 1960 and from the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1969. He joined the U.S. Army in July, 1973, after three years of private practice with his father and one year as Chief of Staff, Pulaski County Memorial Hospital. On April 14, 1979, Ogden was united in marriage with Sheree Lee Cully, a lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. They shared over 43 years of marriage and were blessed with a son, Ogden, and a daughter, Ashley. Dr. DeWitt gave 27 years to the Army, caring for soldiers and their families. Much of his career was spent at Fort Bragg, NC. He was the Surgeon, 82nd ABN Division and the Surgeon, JFK Special Warfare Center. 10 years later he returned to Fort Bragg as the Surgeon, XVIII ABN Corps and Commander, Womack Army Community Hospital. His career culminated in the promotion to Brigadier General and becoming Commanding General of two medical centers: William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso and Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Ogden retired from the Army in May, 2000, but didn’t stop caring for soldiers. He accepted a position at Fort Leonard Wood where he saw soldiers before and after their deployments. He finally retired on his 70th birthday. He loved his John Deere tractor and helping with the hay crop each year. He loved the dogs and cats and even the chickens Sheree kept getting. He loved family dinners and playing Sorry with Ella. But most of all, he loved the Lord, and often asked when Jesus was coming to take us all home to heaven. Ogden is survived by his wife, Sheree, son, Ogden of Waynesville, daughter, Ashley and her husband Michael of Virginia Beach, and granddaughter, Ella. Ogden was preceded in death by his parents, Doc and Annie, and his sister, Barbara Ann. Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, June 20, 2022 in the Memorial Chapels and Crematory of Waynesville/St. Robert with Pastor Lindell Shelden officiating. Family reflections were given by Ogden’s children and granddaughter: Michael and Ashley Stephens, Ogden DeWitt, and Ella DeWitt. The congregation was led in singing “The Old Rugged Cross” by Ashley Stephens, and the songs “When You Are a Soldier” by Steven Curtis Chapman and “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me were played. Serving as escorts were the United States Army and honorary escorts were Roy Shelden, Gordon Bierschenk, Greg Black, J.R. Black, David Wells, Les Boden, and Calvin Gladden. Burial with military honors followed in the Sunset Memorial Estates Cemetery of Waynesville with honors being provided by the United States Army of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

Dr. Ralph Ogden DeWitt Jr.

June 30, 1942 - June 14, 2022