Wells Whitney

1933 - 2025

Wells Whitney
08/28/1933 - 02/04/2025
Wells Whitney passed away peacefully at the age of 91, on February 4, 2025, surrounded by his children and their partners, having lived a long and fascinating life.
Wells was predeceased by Anne Halsted, his beloved wife of 34 years until her death in 2022. He was father to Peter Whitney, Duncan Whitney, John Whitney, Elizabeth Whitney, and Lara Whitney; grandfather to Ryan Whitney, Sara Whitney, Caitlin Whitney, Mahlon Whitney, Chase Whitney, and Alle Whitney; and great-grandfather to Bode Whitney.
Throughout his life, Wells sought out new experiences all over the world. He was born on August 28,1933 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where his New York-based family spent their summers. He received a Bachelors degree at Harvard and earned his Ph.D. from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology which led to post-doctorate work in Strasbourg, France. His professional life included research and leadership positions at companies in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, with time also spent in Japan, as well as many business trips to the U.K., France, and across the U.S.
But Wells' professional career was characterized by much more than geography. It was also one of scientific curiosity and the pleasure of working with other creative and ambitious people. Using his training in physical sciences, he regularly sought new opportunities, taking pride developing innovative solutions to big problems. After his retirement from Raychem, he continued to use his scientific and business expertise by working with start-ups well into his '80s. Following a late-stage cancer diagnosis at 65, his professional and personal interests merged. He fought the cancer while devoting himself to myriad health advocacy initiatives.
Wells enjoyed interacting with a wide variety of people in all manner of social situations. His life took him from childhood in his beloved New England, including summers working on his uncle's dairy farm; to laboratories in the 1960s, working in the forefront of polymers research; New Age gatherings in the Bay Area in the 1970s; and political, philanthropic, and social involvement in San Francisco during his last thirty years.
He and Anne travelled the world, with regular trips to their favorite locales in London, Hawaii, and especially Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy. These trips included many close friends, and often included visits with Wells' children and grandchildren. This was travel of deep engagement and friendship, documented in artwork and his famous journals, which he loved sharing.
Wells was happiest when surrounded by friends and family. He loved being at the center of things – advising young people, bringing people together, and sharing simple pleasures with great generosity, often sitting back, happy to watch others connect and enjoy themselves. He relished the new, while also valuing constancy, connection, and especially family history. The many friends he has kept for decades, and his own family's closeness, are the greatest proof of this. He will be greatly missed.
Donations in his memory may be made to Guide Dogs for the Blind, P.O. Box 151200, San Rafael, CA 94915.