Theodore John (Ted) Witonski was born to John and Mary Witonski on 13 Apr 1911 in Cleveland, Ohio. Witonski studied art and moved to New York where he was employed in the WPA. He married Isabelle Greenberger on 2/12/1938 and they resided in the Chelsea area of Manhattan.

Witonski enlisted in the Armed Services the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor and quickly rose to the rank of colonel during World War II. In 1946, St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Chelsea installed a painting by Witonski, titled "Our Lord Blessing a Soldier and a Sailor." It features two men in uniform kneeling before Jesus. The congregation decided in 1954 to cover the painting because of its militaristic themes, according to a news release from the parish.

Theodore Witnoski died in March of 1977 in Nassau, New York, USA at age 65.