(KNZA)--A longtime Hiawatha teacher has died.

Chris Vitt was 59-years-old when he died Wednesday after, what his obituary calls, “a courageous battle with cancer.”

According to the obituary, from the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home, in Hiawatha, Vitt was surrounded by his family at the time of his death at the Hiawatha Community Hospital.

Vitt taught biology at Hiawatha High School for 35-years, retiring in 2016.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Vitt would be inducted into the Kansas Teachers’ Hall of Fame, in June, in Dodge City.

Among his survivors are his wife, Michelle, his sons, Jeremy and Ryan, and his parents, Barbara and Gregg Vitt.

A celebration of life service is planned for the afternoon of Saturday, May 8, at the Hiawatha Memorial Auditorium, beginning at 1:30.