The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Former English and French teacher Shirley June Whitaker dies


Funeral services for Shir- ley June Whitaker, 76, were held May 26 at Letcher Funeral Home. Burial was in the Whitaker Cemetery at Roxana.

A daughter of the late Neldon Whitaker and Tiny Caudill Whitaker, she died May 18.

Ms. Whitaker was a graduate of Whitesburg High School and Eastern Kentucky University with BA and MA degrees in education. Her life was dedicated to the children of her Kentucky mountains where she taught English and French for more than 25 years in Letcher and Perry counties.

She was an active and dedicated member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was an officer in that organization and enjoyed greatly traveling to their conventions and meeting. She also enjoyed her activities with the Red Hat Society. She was an avid reader, and a great seamstress, making everything from pillows to hats.

She loved family reunions and traveling to be with family any time she could. Much of her life after retirement was given to an exhaustive study of genealogy of the Whitaker and Caudill families. As parents, aunts, and uncles passed on, she became the keeper of family stories, and could be counted upon to fill in the gaps long forgotten.

Ms. Whitaker was a faithful member of Blair Branch Old Regular Baptist Church.

Surviving are her nieces and their families, Kim and Bob Haas and their children Jacob and Sarah, Tammy and Andy Zappin and their daughter Madison, Ida and Doug Sellars and their daughters Paige and Lily, and a brother, Jimmy Neldon Whitaker and sister-inlaw Linda Whitaker.

Funeral services were held May 26 at Letcher Funeral Home. Burial was in the Whitaker Cemetery at Roxana.

Leave a Reply