Mavis Whiting
December 1, 1920 ~ August 16, 2015
Mavis C. Whiting…. loving mother and grandmother …died peacefully on August 16, 2015 at Bethany Retirement Living in Fargo, ND. She was 94 years old.
Born December 1, 1920 to Bert and Martha (Pelz) Crist in Jeffers, MN, Mavis earned her Economics and Commercial Education degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, in 1942. A year later she married Kenneth E. Whiting and they spent 62 wonderful years together.
Mavis was a warm soul whose adoring family will miss her dearly. She was a woman ahead of her time who successfully balanced a career and family in a time when few women did. Her kindness, strength, generosity, fun-spirit and caring attitude are inspiration to her family. Her orange rolls, meatballs and gardening skills will never be forgotten.
Mavis had a long and successful career devoted to the care of the elderly. She led Bethany Homes from 1964 until her retirement as President in 1985. During that time she directed a comprehensive expansion of their services and facilities.
Mavis served on many community boards and was Chairman of the Association of Administrators of Lutheran Services to the Aging and the North Dakota Long Term Care General Counsel. Mavis received the Woman of the Year Award in Business from the YWCA in 1977. She was nationally honored with the meritorious service award from the American Association of Homes for the Aging (AAHA) in 1984. She was a member of First Lutheran Church, Fargo, for 68 years.
In 1987 the new chapel at Bethany was named the Mavis Whiting Chapel and Resident Center in her honor.
Mavis is survived by her daughters Kathryn Whiting (Bob Eisenbeis) and Laura Strehlow (Scott), brother, Stanley Crist, and daughter-in-law, Mary Olen. She also leaves behind a wonderful legacy of 7 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren, all of whom she loved dearly. She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth, son, John, and brother, Lawrence.
Visitation will be from 5-6pm, followed by a memorial service at 6 pm, Friday, September 4, at The Mavis Whiting Chapel – Bethany Retirement Living in Fargo. Private burial will be in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Clitherall, MN.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Bethany Homes. Special thanks to the staff of Bethany for their excellent, compassionate care.
We send our condolences to the Whiting family in the passing of your mother Mavis. My folks were good friends of Mavis and Ken and I remember them well from First Lutheran Church when I was young. She was a remarkable person and the cornerstone of Bethany Retirement Living. A life well lived and long live the memory of Mavis Whiting.
It was my honor and privilege to serve on the Board of Bethany Homes when we selected Mavis Whiting to provide leadership and management when Bethany was in the beginning stages of development and expansion!
May you rest in peace! “Well done good and faithful servant!”
We wish to extend our condolences to the family and wish to express our appreciation for Mavis’ many years as administrator of Bethany. Joe served on the Board of Directors for a number of years, and Jeannette enjoyed being involved in several areas of volunteer work. Our son, Karl, who now is with Wells Fargo in Salt lake City, was director of finance at Bethany for a number of years. He also appreciated working with Mavis. She was a great lady, and both Bethany and the city of Fargo benifited from her years of service.