Obituaries

Dr. Charles Benson Whitfield, Jr., was born May 26, 1928 in Abbyville, GA, to Charles Sr., and Sarah Lavender Whitfield. He departed this life June 20, 2014, at the age of 86. A Memorial Service is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 25th at Dannel Funeral Chapel, with a time of visitation immediately afterward. Charles was a dearly beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother-in-law and educator. He graduated from Roswell High School in 1945, received his BS, Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Education from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. With many years in education he taught and served as elementary school principal in Lubbock Independent School District. He was assistant professor and served as director of the Laboratory School at Morehead State University in Kentucky and served as director of Elementary Education in Denison ISD for many years before retiring in 1995. Charles was a member of many professional organizations including Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Delta Kappa, Kappa Delta Phi, life member of TSTA, life member of NEA, and Grayson County Retired School Personnel Association (past president). He married Edie Lois Hamilton in the First Baptist Church July 3, 1947. They were married just a few days shy of 67 years. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his son Charles E. Whitfield. Survivors include his beloved wife Edie, his son Dr. Larry Whitfield, daughter-in-law Kate Whitfield, and three grandchildren: Charlie, Emma and Parker Whitfield; brother-in-law Harold Hamilton of Greensboro, NC; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Bob and Vicky Tate, and sister-in-law Joy Rainey, all of Lubbock, TX; brother-in-law Lawrence Andrus of Roswell, NM; nieces and nephews: Betsy and Mike Winfry, Beth Andrus, Jim and Lori Andrus, Kristin and Doug Dendy, Sunny and Jim Tidwell, Misty and Kevin Pringle, Meg and Bradley Davis, cliff and Shelagh Holder, and Paul and Tracy Hamilton. The Whitfield family would be honored by memorial donations to: Denison ISD, 1201 S. Rusk St., Denison, TX (75020); Texoma Medical Center, 5016 S. US Hwy 75, Denison, TX (75020); the Doris Hibbert Scholarship Fund, c/o First United Methodist Church, 401 N. Elm, Sherman, TX (75090); or the Grayson County Retired Teachers Association Scholarship Fund, c/o Mrs. Dorothy Lee-Treasurer, 509 Stewart Ln., Sherman, TX (75092).