William John Sittig

William was born to Arthur F. Sittig and Adele L. Sittig (London) on March 21, 1942, in Yonkers, NY. He attended public schools in Mount Vernon, NY, graduating from A.B. Davis High School in 1959.

He graduated from Williams College in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He later received his master’s degree with honors from the Columbia School of Library Science and received a special appointment to the Library of Congress. He deferred the appointment for two years while serving in the US Army in Vietnam, where he managed the serviceman’s library in Saigon.

William started his decades-long career at the Library of Congress in 1968, ultimately retiring in 2007 as the Chief of the Science, Technology & Business Division. While at the Library of Congress, William met his wife, Divna Todorovich; they were married in 1973.

He was a devoted father to his son, Alexander Sittig, who was born on February 1, 1976. William and Divna enjoyed traveling the globe with Alex, creating many treasured memories.

William was an avid hiker, participating in a local hiking group and journeying to various hiking destinations including Russia, the Grand Canyon, and Peru. He was involved in a number of community activities, including serving as an ANC Commissioner and participating in volunteer work for the Rock Creek Conservancy and the White House. William had many interests, including stamp collecting, learning Italian, going to Nationals games with his son, and attending concerts of many different genres including classical, country, and bluegrass.

William joins his beloved wife, Divna Todorovich, who passed away on November 1, 2022. He is survived by son Alexander Sittig, daughter-in-law Emily Sargent, and granddaughter Sofija Sittig of Kensington, MD; brother Robert Sittig and sister-in-law Susan Dohrmann of Seattle, WA; niece Heather Sittig of Walnut Creek, CA; nephew Sebastian Sittig of Shoreline, WA; and niece Hillary Spry of Woodland, CA.

A memorial reception will be held at Joseph Gawler’s Sons Funeral Home at 5130 Wisconsin Avenue, NW on February 25 from 3:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Rock Creek Conservancy or the American Library Association.