Emily Christine Witt is a registered nurse, who has worked in the mental health unit since

completing her 1-year residency in Fall 2021. She was born to Dennis and Doris Witt

(following in their footsteps of health care as a dentist and nurse, respectively) in Harrison,

Ohio where she was also raised. She has worked for many years in the mental health

department at the Veterans Affairs Hospital caring for the many veterans whose welfare she

is very passionate about.

 

Martin Frederick Shelby Wilkes is a retina surgeon, living in greater Cincinnati and practicing

in Dayton since 2018. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1981 where his parents were

completing their ophthalmological subspecialty training. He was raised in Atlanta, Ga from

1983-1999, when educational and occupational pursuits took him to Hampton followed by

Richmond, Virginia, then to Ohio, back to Atlanta for 4 years, then ultimately back in Ohio. He

adores his work and the joy it brings him, as well as the opportunity to enhance the lives of

his patients. 

 

Emily and Martin initially crossed paths during Martin‘s rotation as a retina fellow at the

Veteran Affairs Hospital in Cincinnati in 2012. Since initially approaching Emily (involving a

phone call from his exam room to the front desk where Emily was staffed at the time), they

have grown in many ways. Their adventures initially involved in Ohio, then to Atlanta,

blossoming along the way...and most recently back to Ohio as of 2018 where things their

truly began to take lasting shape. They became engaged in Costa Rica in 2018 and their

love has continued to grow and flourish ever since. Their wedding ceremony was held in

the middle of the pandemic, May 28 th , 2020, over a Zoom video conference with family

members. Martin’s younger brother, Rev. Andrew J. Wilkes, officiated the ceremony. They

both are incredibly happy, grateful, and fond of and for each other as they continue to enjoy

each other’s love, and their shared goals for the future including continuing to build their

relationship with God, family, dogs, travel, and philanthropy. They welcomed their first child

into this world on November 23, 2021, Malcolm Joseph Wilkes.