Mary Katherine "Kelly" Whitaker

Mary Katherine “Kelly” Whitaker died September 17, 2022 in Salisbury, North Carolina.

Born in Beaumont, Texas to James H. and Hester Mae (Andersen) Warthen on November 3, 1935, Mary Kate, as she was then known, graduated with honors from George Washington High School in Alexandria, Virginia in 1953. She met Pat Whitaker at the Second Presbyterian Church and after attending Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia the two were married in 1956. Pat began to call her Kelly after a character in a movie they saw together and the name stuck. They spent the next 21 years assigned to U.S. Air Force bases in South Carolina, Nevada, Texas, California, Alabama, Tripoli, Libya and Alaska. When their children were mostly grown, Kelly completed her college degree at the University of Alaska, Anchorage and taught social studies at East Anchorage High School for 16 years. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church for over 40 years and was active in holiday craft bazaars and at Anchorage’s Saturday Market.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Patrick W. Whitaker and her brother, Brice Lee Warthen.

She is survived by her brother James H. Warthen, Jr. of Houston Texas; children Leigh Whitaker and her husband Nick Rothman of Anchorage, William Warthen Whitaker and his wife Sylvia Whitaker of Falls Church, Virginia, and Tracy Kathleen Childers and her husband John Childers of Salisbury, North Carolina; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The family would greatly appreciate receiving a brief note from friends and acquaintances with thoughts, stories and remembrances, sent to 3115 Antioch Cir., Anchorage, Alaska 99508 or via email to wwwhitaker77@gmail.com. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Katherine "Kelly" Whitaker, please visit our floral store.