Obituary for Charles “Charlie” Whitaker

Charles “Charlie”  Whitaker   86

of Kenton

Funeral Services for Charles “Charlie” Whitaker will be private. Burial will take place at Preston Cemetery Alger.  A celebration of life will be held for him at Faith LightHouse Church at a later date. The Price-McElroy Funeral Home In Kenton is assisting the family with services.

Charlie went on to be with the Lord (his lifetime goal), at 1 a.m. November 30th, 2020.  He was born June 15, 1934 in the Roundhead, Ohio area to the late Steve and Osie (Sloan) Whitaker.

On January 29, 1955 he married Lillie Mae Haney and she preceded him in death in 2014.  A 59 year marriage that it seems his heart was never able to heal from. But the Lord now has them together again.

Charles and Lillie Mae were the loving parents of 4 sons;

Charles Leroy Whitaker, Jr. who preceded them in death.  Rick (Rebecca) Whitaker of Kenton, Ronald J. Whitaker of Kenton who also preceded him in death and Rodney Jeff (Susan) Whitaker of Kenton.

Charles is survived by a brother, John (Sheila) Whitaker of Kenton, a sister Rosie (Mort) Dyer, and a sister Connie (Harry) Sharp.  They were blessed with 11 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.

He traveled the entire United States with his wife and their bluegrass gospel group,  ‘Lillie Mae & The Dixie Gospelaires’ and were quite successful and well known in the bluegrass music field.   They were frequent guests on the Grand Ole Opry and played there many times.  He later joined the bluegrass band of his childhood hero, Bill Monroe and The Bluegrass Boys and moved to Nashville,Tennessee.

Charlie was mostly always self-employed.   He was the co-founder and co-owner of Whitaker & Sons Auto Wrecking  in Kenton along with his father. 

In 1994 he helped his son Rick found Rick’s Auto Sales, Inc. Charlie fully retired in 1997 to work on the many rental properties he and his wife Lillie had come to own.

Everyone that knew him or had ever met him knew that Charlie always had a smile on his face, could see the good in anybody and everybody, and without a doubt one of the best auto mechanics or truck mechanics in the country. He will be greatly missed by all.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Faith Lighthouse Church.

Online condolences may be expressed at pricefh.net.