John Whittington

JACKSON, Mo. -- John E. Whittington, 77, died Friday, July 19, 2002, at his home.

Funeral will be Monday at 10 a.m. at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson, followed by interment at Russell Heights Cemetery with a graveside military honor service. Dr. Grant Gillard will officiate.

Mr. Whittington was born Oct. 22, 1924, at Cowden, Ill., son of John and Edith Curtis Whittington. He and Betty Lou Skinner were married July 27, 1949, at Piggott, Ark., and she survives.

Also surviving are three daughters, Linda Lee Whittington of Jackson, Mo., Kathy Jo Siebert and husband, Steve, of Fruitland, Mo., and Gaye Lynn Laird of Jackson; one brother, Melvin Whittington of Decatur, Ill.; one sister, Mary Margaret Bumgardner of Boynton Beach, Fla.; three grandsons, Scott Whittington and wife, Dixie; Nick and Zach Laird, all of Jackson; and one great-grandson, Brent Whittington of Jackson.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Donald Whittington.

Mr. Whittington was a World War II veteran, having served in the U.S. Army from Oct. 3, 1944, through Aug. 5, 1946. He attained the rank of sergeant. He was a member of the Elks Lodge in Jackson, a lifetime member of the VFW in Chester, Ill., the American Legion in Cape Girardeau, and had been a member of the Silver Jubilee Club in Cape Girardeau.

He worked many years as a truck driver for ABF Freight Systems, retiring in 1987.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the American Heart Association.