Obituary of Richard Edward Hitt

Richard (Rick) Edward Hitt passed away after a long and courageous battle with lymphoma on Saturday, September 9, 2023. Born December 30, 1947, to Juanita "Bonnie" Hitt and Edward "Buck" Hitt in Weston, Rick was a life-long West Virginian. He lived in South Charleston for over 40 years before moving to Morgantown earlier this year. Rick graduated from Buckhannon-Upshur High School and attended West Virginia University earning his bachelor's degree in accounting and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the WVU College of Law. After a brief stint in private practice, he moved to Welch to work with AppalRED, providing legal services for people who couldn't afford them—a testament to his kind heart, social responsibility and strong sense of work worth doing. Through his work he realized how difficult it was for many West Virginians to access clean, safe drinking water. That led him to accept a position at the Public Service Commission of West Virginia where he worked for 38 years, serving as General Counsel to the Commission for most of that time. Rick found joy in many things, most especially spending time with his family and friends, including riding his bike in Kanawha State Forest with Terry, fly fishing with Rick, golfing with John, Terry and Mark, discussing music and the law with Bill and many fun trips with Susan and good friends Steve and Karen. Rick also loved road trips in Spidey, hiking, photographing wildflowers and he loved/hated watching his Mountaineers play football and basketball. He also played a mean game of Scrabble, Gin Rummy and Uno. Rick is loved and survived by his wife, Susan Small; his son, Matthew Hitt; his daughters, Allison Hitt, Mariah Plante, and Molly Plante; and Jersey his beloved Airedale Terrier. He is also survived by his sister, Jennie McHenry (Dave); sister in law, Mary Jane Wightman (Charlie); brothers in law, Greg Small (Susan), Bill Harper (Denise) and Paul Harper; and several nieces and nephews, Alexandra Sharapov, Scott Harper, Kristina Wells, Justin and Jason McHenry. He is loved and will be remembered by many family and friends both in and beyond WV. He was predeceased by his parents and his second wife Susie Harper Hitt. Rick's family and friends will gather to celebrate his life on Saturday, October 7 at 1:00 p.m., in the Oak Room at the Coonskin Park Clubhouse in Charleston, WV. Honoring Rick's love of wild flowers, the family requests in lieu of flowers donation be made in Rick's name to the West Virginia Botanic Garden, 714 Venture Drive, PMB 121, Morgantown, WV, 26508. Condolences may be sent to www.hastingsfuneralhome.com.