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Larry Allen Whitaker, 78, loving husband of Donna Smith Whitaker, to whom he had been married for 56 years. passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at Baptist Health Lexington after a long illness. He was born in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, on October 12, 1947, to the late Vincent Whitaker and Marie Kilburn Whitaker. After retiring from Whitaker’s Auto Body in Downtown Lexington, Larry spent time with his family and friends, as well as his brother, Greg. Larry was also a graduate of Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky. Survivors include children, Ryan Whitaker and wife Crystal of Lexington, Kentucky, and David Whitaker of Charlotte, North Carolina, three Grandchildren- Alexander Whitaker, Gracie Belle Whitaker, and Katherine Cupp. Additional survivors include his siblings, Carol Whitaker of Cary, North Carolina; Sheila DeVary (Deceased) and her husband, Hymon, of Lexington, Kentucky; and Greg Whitaker and his wife, Barbara, of Lexington, Kentucky.
Cremation was selected, and the family has requested that no services be scheduled. Betts & West Funeral Home is honored to serve Larry and the Whitaker family in their time of loss. —online guestbook at www.BettsandWestfuneralhome.com.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
404 North Main Street, Nicholasville, KY 40356
Memories and condolences can be left on the obituary at the funeral home website.


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