Robert Whitworth

Robert Whitworth

Robert Whitworth, 86, of rural Putnam County, MO, passed away at Arbors of Kirksville Residential Care Center in Kirksville, MO, on Sunday, November 15, 2009. He had been a resident there for about two months.
Robert Lee Whitworth was born in Kirksville, MO, on October 11, 1923, the son of Grover and Esther (Leonard) Whitworth, who preceded him in death. He joined the United States Navy in January of 1943 and served as an aviation machinist mate in the Port of Chicago. He married Wilma Kutchenriter in Chicago on October 23, 1943 and she preceded him in death on August 26, 2008.
Robert was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1945 and he and Wilma moved to Burlington, IA, where Robert worked first as an auto mechanic for Studebaker and then at Sylvania where they made televisions. He once received an employee award for innovation while working for Sylvania. In 1957 Robert and Wilma moved to a farm south of Martinstown, MO, where they made their home until Wilma’s death.
Robert was a man of varied interests. He was an avid reader, especially of WW II literature, and he was a good story teller. He was a jack-of-all trades, having built his family’s home in both Burlington and Martinstown. Robert was a general handy-man who could build birdhouses, fix electronic appliances, or repair farming equipment. He loved to watch the hummingbirds and he and Wilma liked to travel. They were members of the Good Sam Club and also spent winters in Texas from 1990 – 2007.
Robert Whitworth is survived by five children: Terry Whitworth and his wife Faye of Tacoma, WA; Troy Whitworth and his wife Beth of Gardner, KS; Susan Jones and her husband David of Waynesboro, VA; Linda Davis and her husband Darl of Unionville, MO; and Tammy Thiel and her husband Joel of Columbia, MO. A son-in-law, Dennis Merritt of Lake Elsinore, CA, also survives. His five surviving grandchildren are Tony Jones, Melanie Wagner, Jeffrey Davis, Thaddeus Thompson, and Tia Thompson. Other survivors are Robert’s six great grandchildren; a sister, Norene Ryder or Pasco, WA; and two half-sisters, Mabel Meyers of Ft. Myers, FL, and Irene Burcham of Louisburg, KS.
In addition to his parents and wife, Robert was also preceded in death by two daughters, Rebecca Whitworth, who died in childhood, and Patricia Merritt. A half brother, Victor Whitworth, also preceded Robert in death as well as a son-in-law, Rick Ralston, and a grandson, Tarence Thompson.
Funeral services for Robert Whitworth will be at Playle and Jones Family Funeral Home on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 10:30 am. Visitation will Tuesday, November 17 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Interment will be in the Martinstown Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to Hospice Compassus, Martinstown Cemetery or the Tarence Thompson Memorial Scholarship Fund and may be entrusted with Playle and Jones Family Funeral Home, 709 S. 27th St., Unionville, MO, 63565.