Robert Whitmire

1939 - 2020

Robert Whitmire

Jackson - Robert Nolen Whitmire, 81, of Jackson, TN, passed away Thursday, November 5, 2020, at Jackson-Madison County Hospital after a brief illness. A graveside service will be held at Browns Church Cemetery, on Saturday, November 14th, at 1:00 p.m.He was born at Memorial Hospital in Jackson, TN, on May 17, 1939, to Lottis Nolen Whitmire and Helen Lorena Whitmire. He grew up in his beloved Westwood Gardens, a neighborhood community that would later turn into the stuff of myth to his son and granddaughter, which they perceived as a kind of childhood utopia involving tales of joy and general wildness, including BB gun fights, water balloons, cherry bombs and general prankish mayhem. He attended West Jackson Elementary, Jackson Jr. High and graduated from Jackson High in 1957. While there, he was selected to attend the esteemed Camp Winiwanca in Michigan, and would forever value its mission of developing one's mental, physical, social and spiritual balance. Also, he was active in football, baseball and band, where he played trumpet, and was a finalist in the DAR Oratorical Contest presenting, "E pluribus unum." He continued to play the horn with theJACB Symphonic Winds and would often perform for his family and neighbors from his living room, sometimes at comically inappropriate times of the evening. He was in regular attendance at Hays Avenue Methodist Church and was an active leader in MYF and regional youth groups.After graduating from the University of Mississippi with a BS in Philosophy and Chemistry, he taught high school chemistry in Covington, TN and Savannah, GA. After teaching he worked as a safety and health engineer in Memphis, TN.He was extremely active in the world of Memphis youth soccer in the 1980's, serving for years as both head coach of Christ United Methodist Church teams, and ultimately as president of the East Memphis Soccer Association. As coach it was his standard practice to motivate, not scold, his players, and to give them equal playing time on the field no matter their talent level.Throughout his life he was known for his unparalleled compassion, character, wisdom and intellectual and cultural curiosity. He was well-read on a host of subjects and could recite countless poems and songs from memory, frequently and hilariously hamming it upto the max. Bursting loudly into the most ridiculous song with absurdly improvised lyrics was common. He loved to thoughtfully discuss and debate art, politics, etc., not necessarily to win an argument but to passionately explore meaningful subjects with others. His mannerly kindness was so gentlemanly and soothing, and he went around the world to let you know you were valued and respected, no matter your view. Multiple copies of books by Faulkner, Thoreau or Kazantzakis could be seen stowed away in his house, just in order to share with folks he cared about. And be careful if you asked him ifhe could identify, say, a black bird with a touch of red in the shoulder. You might receive a pamphlet or book on the subject the next day. These were some of the reasons he was able to maintain friendships for almost 70 years. A hilarious raconteur, he regularly kept his granddaughter in stitches from his self-deprecating stories of various slapstick mishaps, almost always involving boats or farm equipment. A fierce

individualist, sometimes his behavior and perceptions were so unconventional they were flabbergasting to folks, once prompting a hilariously irritated yet cherished close friend, Billy Moore, to exclaim to Nolen's son, "Your dad just doesn't think like anyone else I know." Indeed he did not, and that was the immense power, value and goodness of Nolen Whitmire.Nolen is survived by Barbara Steppe Whitmire; his son, Andrew Nolen Whitmire; his granddaughter, Mary Elizabeth Loren Whitmire; his brother, Donald Lee Whitmire; his sister-in-law, Mary Whitmire; his nieces, Susan Whitmire, Julie Derrick, Leigh Whitmire; his grandniece, Kristian Derrick. Everybody has a Nolen Whitmire story, and we would love to hear them all. To share a story, please email it to drewnwhitmire@gmail.com.In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the American Diabetes Association.