WHITTINGTON, Jean

(Maiden Name: Gilbert)

Today's News-Herald, Lake Havasu City, AZ - Published Tuesday, May 10, 2011 - Jean Whittington, 83, of Lake Havasu City, died peacefully May 6, surrounded by her daughters and close friends. Eleanor Jean Gilbert, daughter of Olga Backer and Glenn Jackson Gilbert, was born Oct. 14, 1927, in El Paso, Texas. She attended grade schools in El Paso, graduated from El Paso High School, and attended the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy (UTEP), where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. Jean married Howard “Buddy” Whittington in 1952 and together they raised three daughters on an idyllic cotton farm in the valley about 15 miles north of El Paso. In the early ’70s, Jean and Sandy moved to the cooler climbs of Pinetop, Ariz. Jean's many impromptu road trips with her daughters provide memories of uncontrolled laughter in small town restaurants and of their car's hubcap rolling past the group at a California stoplight. Her daughters inherited her affection for animals; their homes and hers almost always included at least one, often rescued, dog or cat. Birthday parties at home meant balloons and streamers, a homemade cake, lots of guests, and games with prizes. Jean's devotion to her family, her sense of humor, her graciousness, kindness and gentleness live vibrantly in our hearts. Jean is survived by daughters, Carol “C.J.” Jean Edmonds (Bob), of Lake Havasu City, Julie Ann Duncan (Kerry), of Atlanta, Ga., Sandra Louise “Sandy” Whittington (Jay Harris), of Santa Barbara, Calif.; grandchildren, Lauren Anne Duncan, of Covington, La., and Matthew Whittington Duncan, of Atlanta, Ga.; niece Meg Gilbert Bergquist of Austin, Texas; and nephew, Robert G. “Bob” Gilbert, of El Paso, Texas. She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Robert J. “Bob” Gilbert and William B. “Bill” Gilbert. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, there will be no service, donations can be made to Hospice of Havasu, P.O. Box 597, Lake Havasu City, 86403; Western Arizona Humane Society, 1100 Empire Drive, LHC, AZ 86404; or Alzheimer's/Dementia Connection of Havasu, 2126 McCulloch Blvd. North #7, LHC, AZ 86403-6742. Thoughts and condolences can be sent to Jean’s family at www.lietz-frazefuneralhome.com. Arrangements will be handled by Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home, 21 Riviera Blvd., Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403, (928) 855-4949.
Posted by mhenderson on May 12, 2011

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