Michael Allen Whitten

Michael Allen Whitten, age 48 of Dallas, Texas, was born December 05, 1976 in Dallas to Kathy Gray and Rodger Whitten; and passed away December 19, 2024 in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Michael had a heart of gold, and touched so many different people throughout his life. He was a jack of all trades; an entrepreneur who loved to be outdoors, and spent much of his time fishing, golfing, and boating.
Michael is survived by his wife, Sherry Green of Dallas, Texas; mother, Kathy Gray of Arlington, Texas; father, Rodger Whitten and wife, Crystal of Gun Barrel City, Texas; sister, Penny Sheetz and husband, David of Arlington, Texas; daughter, Kennedy Whitten and husband, Walker Frailey of Dallas, Texas; sons, Michael Whitten II of Dallas, Texas, Jett Huerta of Dallas, Texas, Keith Whitten of Rockwall, Texas, Raiden Whitten of Rockwall, Texas; nephews, Nicholas Sutherland and wife, Ashley, and Chance Sutherland of Arlington, Texas, and Rowdy Whitten; brother, Rodger Whitten of Dallas, Texas, Cameron Whitten of Dallas, Texas; great nephew, Zachary Sutherland; and numerous cousins, aunts, uncles and an endless amount of friends..
From his wife, Sherry
Michael loved to travel, especially a long road trip with no real final destination in mind. We have driven through 27 states together, creating the most amazing memories, having long conversations about the meaning of life, lots of family stories, lots of laughing, lots of crying, listening to comedians, and singing along to all kinds of music. Michael also loved golf, fishing, fast cars, and, oh, how he loved his boat and being on the ocean. He loved to build things. He could fix anything. He was so creative, always making something new or better out of other things and making things go faster!
"Larger Than Life" Michael was totally at home in a casino. He had a knack for walking in with 20 bucks and walking out with $10,000, and many times, he would promptly take his winnings to Walmart and pay for everybody's groceries. That's just Michael, always wanting to help others. Michael could not stand to see somebody else in need without doing something to help. Whether it was stopping to help change a tire, towing someone who broke down, seeing a homeless person in a storm and going to get them a hotel, giving literally the shirt off of his back or the shoes off of his feet to someone on a street corner that was without. He couldn't walk by and do nothing. He recently bought a camper trailer for a homeless man and helped an amputee buy a truck. He was giving Christmas miracles. He was always trying to help improve the quality of life for others.
Michael was not only my husband, he was my best friend. He loved his family, and he dearly loved all of his children. Michael was a good man. He was my biggest fan, and I was his. He was my ride-or-die. He protected, built me up, cheered me on, and really believed in me. He pushed me to be everything I could be. He was super proud of me and my accomplishments. When I had rough days, he would ensure I would never forget that I was "Sherry F*ing Green!" And he would tell me to act like it and own it. He called me his Bonnie, and he will forever be my Clyde.
Although Michael had been a professed atheist most of his life, he died a true believer. He had a very personal experience with God about a year and a half ago, and he told anyone who would listen that he knew the man was real. He prayed often. I know he is in Heaven. I love you, Michael.
From his children
Our dad was one of those people you wouldn't forget after you met him. You wouldn't have to ask what his name was again because he would walk into a room and command it and made sure you knew who he was. He was funny, intelligent, sarcastic, and witty.
A few of our favorite memories growing up consists of water park days when our dad would bet the boys money to go down scary water rides, hide and go seek in the house for hours on end, playing guitar hero until the early hours of the morning while eating pizza in the bed, jumping off of the roof into the swimming pool, and just about every other crazy adventurous thing you could think of. He was a thrill seeker who loved to have fun. He loved watching us kids push our limits and get over our fears. He also kept his word when it came to bets with the boys.
He loved seeing who would actually do the crazy shit he came up with. We loved his crazy little songs he would come up with for us kids. No matter the situation, he would always make a silly song up to go with what we were doing or going through. We will forever miss the days of riding in his hummer and screaming Berzerk by Eminem at the top of our lungs.
He instilled an entrepreneurial mindset in all of us kids. That's where we all get it. He may not have been a perfect person, but he was the hardest worker we knew. He never settled for an answer he didn't like and always pushed a few more steps above to make everything he did, great. He excelled at his career in HVAC and was always so excited to show us things he knew or learned. He loved teaching us about anything he could.
Our dad will be loved and missed for decades to come. We love you so much and we are proud of you for what you have done.
Love, Kennedy, Michael, Keith, Jett, & Raiden
A memorial service will be held in Michael's honor at 10:30AM Friday, December 27, 2024 in Williams Memorial Chapel, with a reception to follow in Bluebonnet Hall.