Pyle math teacher Gary Witzenburg died June 28 at the age of 72 after a yearlong battle with cancer. Witzenburg taught algebra for 14 years after serving more than two decades in the Navy. Witzenburg was well-respected and remembered for his inspiration, humor and military stories.

“He loved his subject, but more importantly, he loved kids,” Pyle principal Jennifer Webster said. “He inspired students to have confidence in their math abilities and supported his colleagues to be better teachers.”

Witzenburg was also known for giving out Starbursts to encourage students’ hard work, his students and former colleagues said.

“He made math class enjoyable,” rising senior Jessica Levy said.

Danny McClanahan (’13) shared his memories of Witzenburg in an emotional Facebook status highlighting the teacher’s ability to inspire students and get them more interested in math.

He described how Witzenburg challenged him to finish a Rubik’s cube in less than two minutes to save the rest of the class from a pop quiz. Witzenburg later pulled McClanahan aside after class to suggest that he might not be challenging himself enough academically.

“Anything that Vanderbilt saw in me that made them click “accept” is because of Mr. Witzenburg,” McClanahan wrote of the college of which he plans to attend in the fall. “I cannot express how much those two minutes with Mr. Witzenburg have done for me, and will continue to do for me, for the rest of my life.”

Other students enjoyed his quirky personality and interesting anecdotes.

“He was my all time favorite teacher,” rising sophomore Sam Wenger said. “I always looked forward to his quick witted responses to questions and his military humor.”

A funeral service for Witzenburg will be scheduled at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to The Mr. Witz Memorial Fund c/o Pyle Middle School.