Raymond W. "Ray" Whittaker

Raymond W. “Ray” Whittaker, Jr., 70 of Athens, WV, died Friday, June 17, 2016, at Princeton Community Hospital. Born in Tazewell, VA, April 28, 1946, he was the son of the late Raymond W. Whittaker, Sr. and Louise Shrewsbury Sims. Ray retired from the Mercer County School System Transportation Department with over 20 years of service. He was involved in several business ventures through the years. He ran a small grocery store on the Beckley Road in Princeton. He later became a real Estate Broker opening Associated Properties in Athens. This building also housed another business he started, The Antique Emporium. He also operated The Needful Pawn Shop on the Athens Road at Melrose Square and taught real estate classes at Concord University. Ray served on the board of directors for Mercer County Commission on Aging from 2003-2004 and was named director from 2005-2007. He was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Princeton. Ray proudly served his country as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War where he received a purple heart. He loved his family and liked spending time with his grandchildren, fishing, and going to the lake. He was a great writer and poet and an avid reader, with a library of approximately 5,000 books. He was a man of his word and principles. In addition to his parents one son, Raymond J. “J.R.” Whittaker preceded him in death. Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Betty Jo Fry Whittaker of Athens, one daughter, Kelly Marie Whittaker of Princeton; three grandchildren, McKenna Marie Ellison, Maeghan Alivia Ellison and Madison Brooke Whittaker; one half-brother, Larry Bailey of Kegley and one half-sister, Fredenia Sims of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, June 21, 2016, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Princeton with Father Sebastian DeVasey as Celebrant. Entombment will follow in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens Mausoleum in Beckley, WV. Mercer County Veterans Honor Guard will provide Military Rites. Family and friends will serve as pallbearers. Friends may call at Sacred Heart Catholic Church from 10:00 A.M. to the service hour Tuesday.