Kenneth Whiting

kenneth whiting
Kenneth E. Whiting . . . husband, father, grandfather, teacher, provider, counselor, wordsmith, poet, believer and friend . . . died on April 12, 2006. He was 91 years old. Mr. Whiting was born July 22, 1914, to Leo and Lulu (Thurston) Whiting in Max, North Dakota. He grew up in Clitherall, Minnesota and attended high school in Battle Lake, Minnesota. He earned a bachelor?s degree from Mayville State University and a master?s degree from North Dakota State University. He completed additional graduate work at the University of Minnesota, Moorhead State University and the University of Denver. During World War II Mr. Whiting served in the U.S. Army where he fought in the Battle of Fort Snelling. On June 6, 1943, Mr. Whiting married Mavis Crist at Jeffers, Minnesota. For sixty-two years they supported one another, played cribbage together, worked crossword puzzles together (do you know a five letter word for a coin used in Tibet ? he did), delighted in one another?s company and raised a family together. Their marriage produced three children - Kathryn of Fargo, John of Madison, Wisconsin and Laura of Milwaukee, Wisconsin - and six grandchildren, all of whom he loved dearly. Mr. Whiting devoted his professional life to education. Over his career, he was a teacher in every grade level ranging from a first grade class in a rural North Dakota school to graduate level courses at North Dakota State University. He taught in high schools in Fairmount, North Dakota and Forest Lake and Red Wing, Minnesota. From 1959 until his retirement in 1976 he was an assistant principal and principal at Agassiz Junior High School in Fargo. Following his retirement he served as the director of adult education in Fargo until 1985. Mr. Whiting was a member of the local chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, a fraternity of educators, both the state and national associations of secondary school principals and the Kiwanis Club of Fargo. He was a member of First Lutheran Church for 60 years and a Sunday school teacher for 25 years. To his family and those who knew him, Mr. Whiting was a playful man who could always be counted upon to quote a little poetry, deftly turn a phrase, identify a new homonym and generally entertain with his wit and sense of humor. He was a good and decent man. The wealthy and powerful will barely note his passing, as those were not the circles in which he lived his life. But he gently touched the lives of those who came to know him. He made a difference in their lives. And they will miss him. Mr. Whiting is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents and four sisters: Mae Keppers, Gretchen Lund, Margaret Swank, and Jean Whiting. Memorial services for Kenneth E. Whiting will be held on Monday, April 17, 2006 at 11:00 am at First Lutheran Church, 619 North Broadway, Fargo. Visitation will be from 10:00 am until 11:00 am. Burial will be at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Clitherall, Minnesota. Memorial gifts may be made to Bethany Homes, 201 South University Drive, Fargo or First Lutheran Church, 619 North Broadway, Fargo. Arrangements entrusted to Boulger Funeral Home, Fargo.

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  1. Ken, was my Great uncle, it was always fun to see him, and Mavis. They both have a special place in my heart.


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