Deirdre "Dee Dee" Whittaker

Deirdre "Dee Dee" Whittaker, 57, of Paducah, passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, at the Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville.

Dee Dee was born in Paducah on June 19, 1965. She graduated from Reidland High School in 1983. She met the love of her life, Matthew Whittaker, in 1988, in Atlanta, Georgia. The couple married on Sept. 11, 1989. Dee Dee and Matt moved back to her hometown of Paducah where they raised their two sons, Samuel and Ross Whittaker.

In her professional career, Dee Dee held a variety of business roles. She worked as a branch manager for U.S. Bank in downtown Paducah, in advertising sales for WPSD Local 6, and, most recently, as an account executive for The Waterways Journal. Dee Dee earned her associate's degree from WKCTC.

Dee Dee endeavored to improve the local community through her leadership of charitable organizations. She served on the board of the St. Nicholas Clinic from 2010 to 2015 and organized the group's annual Feast for St. Nick to raise funds. From 2010 to 2013, Dee Dee was a board member of St. Mary School System, serving as a member of the Education and Marketing committees. She joined the Rotary Club of Paducah in 2011 and worked as the club president from 2018-2019. Most recently, Dee Dee held a position on the board of the River Discovery Center. Perhaps her favorite community accomplishment was competing in Dancing with Our Stars in 2015 and placing in the top three.

There are few people that have a passionate zest for life quite like Dee Dee. Over the years, she ran two marathons (and numerous half marathons), learned to boat, and took up the guitar. She loved spending time at Kentucky Lake and enjoyed kayaking and trail riding on her new bike. She enjoyed traveling, especially to Key West and Las Vegas. Dee Dee rarely met a stranger and her friends meant everything to her.

Dee Dee was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Paducah and attended mass at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Calvert City frequently. She was preceded in death by her mother, Sylvia Davis; her father, J.B. Swinford; her dad, Wilson Davis; her sister, Joyce Orr; and her sister-in-law, Debbie Swinford. She is survived by her loving husband, Matt; her brother, J.C. Swinford; her sister, Sandy Peters; her sons, Sam and Ross; and her daughters-in-law, Emily and Savanah; and many other friends and family.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to the St. Mary (Paducah) Annual Fund.

Visitation will be held 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.

Funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, September 14 at 11:00 A.M. at St. Thomas More Catholic Church with Father Brad Whistle officiating. Burial will follow the service at Mt. Carmel Cemetery.

You can leave a message for the family or light a candle at www.milnerandorr.com.