Robert L. Wittig Jr. of West Tisbury died Sept. 17 at home after a long illness. He was 83 and the husband of Patricia Silva Wittig.

Robert was born in Hartford, Conn., on Sept. 21, 1929, the son of the late Robert L. Wittig and Marion Linden Wittig.

He graduated from Hartford Public High School in 1948 and served in the Naval Reserves for five years.

He loved music and played trumpet in various bands in the 1940s and 1950s, and eventually had his own big band and later combo.

Robert was employed by the Southern New England Telephone Company for 31 years. While there he was a member of the SNET Pistol Team for several years.

After retiring in 1982, he and his wife moved to Martha’s Vineyard, where he pursued his love of fishing. Upon finding out that none of the local tackle shops repaired reels, he set up his own home reel repair business, named Vineyard Reel Service. He later sold it and repaired reels for Dick’s Bait and Tackle.

Robert was a member of the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby committee for several years. He also served as treasurer for Grace Episcopal Church, and recently became a 50 year member of St. John’s Masonic Lodge #4 in Connecticut.

Robert is survived by his wife, Patricia, and three children by a previous marriage, Robert L. Wittig III and his wife Vera Ann, Bruce Wittig, and Matthew Wittig, as well as four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was predeceased by a son, John David Wittig, and a daughter, Mary Beth Ahern.

Services will be private. Friends are invited to remember Robert through contributions to Tri-Town Ambulance, PO Box 457, West Tisbury, MA 02575 for their many assists during his last few months.

Arrangements are under the care of the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, Oak Bluffs.