Richard Whittington Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Services for Richard Ruben Whittington, 79, are scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, at Dunn’s Funeral Home in Eddyville with Bro. Jay Brown officiating. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until the funeral hour. Burial will follow in Kuttawa Cemetery. Mr. Whittington went home to his Lord early Monday following a long illness. He was an early visionary of New Eddyville’s future serving multiple terms as president of the Eddyville Business and Professional Association. He along with the city’s late benefactor, Lee Seldon Jones and other BPA members, started Founder’s Day in 1963. In 1971, the BPA named him Citizen of the Year for his work in obtaining a grant to build the city’s swimming pool. In the late 1970s, he envisioned a state park and 18-hole golf course at historic Mineral Mound. Toward that goal, he approached Lee Jones, who owned part of the property, to donate substantial acreage for the project. Jones agreed, and Mr. Whittington then took his idea to attorney Bill Young and together they presented Gov. Julian Carroll with their plan and drawings. Mr. Whittington also served multiple terms on the Planning and Zoning Commission and other local boards. He was an avid golfer and once hit a hole-in-one for which he received state recognition. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Eddyville and a U.S. Army veteran having served as a medic in Korea. Mr. Whittington operated Citizens/Whittington Insurance Agency for 56 years, and his office became an early-morning gathering place for government and business leaders to enjoy coffee while discussing pending issues facing the city and county. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sally Hayes Whittington, two daughters and their spouses, Sarah Hayes Anderson and husband, Andy, of St. Charles, Illinois; and Frances Lauren Gaddie, and husband, Brandon, of Louisville; grandchildren Axel, Afton and Fancy Anderson and Ruben, Wake and Olin Pierce Gaddie; his twin brother, Rodney Whittington and his wife, Kathy, of Princeton; and several nieces and nephews. Besides his parents, R.P. and Verble Whittington, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Melinda Whittington Sollman and Sarajean Whittington Ethridge.

Richard Whittington

October 24, 1942 - December 13, 2021