70 | DECEMBER 8 • 2022
H
onorable was more
than a title for Judge
Jamie Wittenberg; it
was his essence. His unsur-
passed integrity, steadfastness
and kindheartedness perme-
ated every aspect of his life,
from his career as a highly
respected jurist to his most
treasured role as a devoted
husband, father, brother and
son. After a long and fear-
less battle against a deadly
form of brain cancer, Jamie
Wittenberg passed away on
Nov. 20, 2022, at his Berkley
home with his family by his
side. He was 48.
“Judge W,” as he was fondly
called by his colleagues at
the 44th District Court, was
known for his fairness and
compassion, in and out of
the court room. He helped
many people who appeared
before him find solutions to
better their lives, and he did
so without taking credit or
expecting praise.
As a husband and father,
his greatest joy was spending
time with his wife, Staci,
and their four daughters.
Fatherhood came naturally to
him, and he embraced every
aspect, from changing diapers
and reading bedtime stories
to constructing backyard
obstacle courses and teaching
the girls how to ride a bike.
He went to Tamarack “Dad
and Me” camp, not once, but
three times.
“You name it, he did it, and
he did it all with love and
attention,” Staci said. “He was
the hands-on dad every child
would want.”
Jamie grew up in
Huntington Woods, the
son of Howard and Mollie
Wittenberg and the older
brother of Jodie and Robert.
Encouraged by his father, he
learned to play basketball,
baseball, tennis and golf. At
Berkley High School, he was
a wide receiver on the Berkley
Bears football team and was
voted “best personality” by
his classmates. He honed his
work ethic from an early age,
delivering newspapers and
spending summers as a camp
counselor.
After graduating from
Indiana University in
Bloomington, Jamie returned
home to attend law school
at Wayne State University.
He had a photographic
memory that allowed him
to absorb classroom lectures
and remember complex legal
principles, often without
opening a textbook. As a law
student, he interned in the
Wayne County Prosecutor’s
office, where his impressive
legal skills earned him
assignments to several high-
profile cases.
In law school, he
reconnected with Staci,
whom he had met briefly in
Chicago the year before. Staci
was pursuing an advanced
education degree at Wayne
State, and the two developed a
friendship that soon became a
loving partnership filled with
mutual support and respect.
They were married in August
2003.
After working as an
assistant prosecutor in Wayne
County, followed by a stint
in Macomb County, Jamie
decided to run for judge in
Berkley’s 45-A District Court
in 2008. Accompanied by
his wife and his father, he
knocked on every door in the
district and won the election
over candidates that included
the city attorney and former
Berkley mayor.
As Jamie was about to
begin his first term, Staci,
who was pregnant with twins,
developed a rare complication
that necessitated bed rest for
the next several months. It
was a difficult situation that
Jamie met without hesitation,
coming home every day at
lunch time to take care of his
wife and 2- and 4-year-old
daughters.
“Being the best husband
and father he could be was
the most important thing to
him,” said his brother, Robert.
Family time was his most
precious commodity. He
loved exploring new places
and revisiting old favorites,
documenting every adventure
with countless photos and
videos. Memorable vacations
included biking on Mackinac
Island, hiking in Arizona,
splashing through various
water parks and visiting
Disney World on multiple
occasions.
‘Simply the
Best of Us’
RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY
Judge Jamie Wittenberg