WHITESELL, Jack M.

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona, Sunday, September 08, 2014 Jack M. Whitesell, 93, passed away July 16, 2014, at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Hospice in Prescott, Ariz. He was born Jan. 2, 1921, in Delavan, Ill., to Ora and Pansy Whitesell. The family moved to Southern California in 1936 when Jack was a teenager. He finished high school, enrolled in a junior college and earned a bachelor degree in chemical engineering from USC, holding several jobs all the while. When WWII broke out, Jack enlisted in the Marine Corps. After boot camp, he served as a 1st Lieutenant in the Pacific and saw action on Guam, the Marianas and other Pacific islands. In 1947, he met and married his wife Verna Ruth (Olson). Jack re-ceived his degree from USC in chemical engineering and started working for the Fluor Corporation. In 1957, he left Fluor to work at AeroJet, which was a part of the emerging aerospace industry. When the space program died out in the early '70s, the family moved to their favorite vacation spot, Lakeport, Calif., and opened a Coast to Coast hardware store. In 1994, the couple retired and moved to Prescott to be closer to their daughter and her family. They built a home on the new south course of Antelope Hills. The 20 years that followed were filled with happy times with family, old friends and good neighbors. His beloved wife of 66 years, Verna Ruth Whitesell, passed away in 2013. He is survived by his daughter Janet Minnich (Ronald) of Prescott, and son John Whitesell of Lakeport, Calif., as well as four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at the VA Chapel in Prescott 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 12, 2014, with interment to follow at the National Cemetery at 11 a.m. Please visit www.hamptonfuneralhome.com to sign Jack's guestbook. Information provided by survivors.