Robert Whittington

Robert Whittington was a fun-loving, reliable and trustworthy man with a big heart. He had an incredible work ethic and great sense of humor, many friends and countless hobbies. Bob always held himself up to a high standard, and because of his zestful pursuance of life, he reaped the rewards of great friends and a family that loved him dearly.

In the late 1960s, America was in the midst of a radical cultural change motivated by war, political unrest and the Civil Rights Movement. But for Richard Whittington and his wife, Shirley (Claussen), of Chicago, Illinois, it was family itself that changed with the birth of their son, Robert Alan, on February 26, 1967. Robert's grandmother fondly looks back on that day and remembers how there was a blustering snowstorm shadowing the city, but more than that, she was pulled over by the police while speeding to the hospital for his birth. However, this sweet grandmother "talked her way out of a ticket." Bob, as he was called, was the middle of three children; he had an older sister, Cheryl, and younger brother, Thomas.

Bob's father earned a living working as a Production Manager at the Campbell Soup plant in Chicago. His mother was a busy homemaker, but also did some modeling on the side every so often. Growing up, Bob was an active child with a boatload of energy. He and his siblings would play outside up to the very last moment before being called home. They had lots of neighborhood kids to play with, especially the family of eight across the street from them. From playing sports and jumping his bike to riding on the bumpers of passing cars, Bob had lots of bumps and bruises to show for his fun, and much to his parents' dismay, many ER visits. Although energized, Bob could fall asleep anywhere in just seconds. Their church was only four miles away from their home, and Bob would be sleeping by the time they arrived. One time his mother thought she had lost him, when in fact he was asleep on the front porch.

Bob was a tremendous athlete with a very competitive nature. He excelled as a Little League pitcher, and his father always worked with him to improve his pitching. In fact, his father wouldn't let him play with his friends until he had successfully pitched in theory three innings of strikeouts. When Bob was in the sixth grade, he moved to Slidell, Louisiana, for a time and it was here that he was confirmed in the Lutheran church. In 1982, he moved to Holland, Michigan, where his father took a job in the Lifesaver Candy factory. By this time, Bob was a sophomore in high school, and he soon took his place among the students at West Ottawa High School. He quickly became part of the school's many sports teams, including baseball, wrestling and as a quarterback and linebacker in football. To this day, Bob still has several unbeaten records at West Ottawa.

Although Bob was aggressive when it came to sports, he was just a big teddy bear to his family. He loved and adored his family, and was not afraid to show his emotions around other people. Bob was also very protective of them. Once, while umpiring one of his little brother's baseball games, a player was headed to home plate, where Bob's brother was the catcher and Bob instinctively pulled the boy off his brother to protect him. In addition to his softness, Bob possessed a great sense of humor. He was a real jokester and known as the "king of one liners."

Bob graduated from West Ottawa in 1985, and went on to attend Eastern Michigan University on a football scholarship. From EMU, he went to Central Michigan University, where he and his sister lived together for a while. During this time, Bob's parents divorced, and the entire family took it hard. In 1989, Bob went to work at the Lifesaver factory, where his dad worked as Plant Manager. They worked together for many years, during which time Bob's father instilled in him a strong work ethic that would lead him to better opportunities in the future. Then in 1992, he met Kim North, who also worked at the Lifesaver plant. Kim had a three-year-old son named Douglas that Bob just fell in love with. He and Kim were married in 1997 at the Justice of the Peace in Grand Haven, and made their first home together on Franklin street in Grand Haven, MI. Some time later, Douglas legally became Bob's son, and the couple also had two children together, Carson born in 1996, and McKennah in 1998.

Bob was a devoted father and loved his children immensely. He and his daughter share a special bond and a special song just for the two of them called "Let Me Call You Sweetheart." Bob was a huge golfer, and nothing pleased him more than to golf with his family. They would play every day on the nine-hole course at Crestmoor Country Club. Bob also spent a lot of time at the Shannty Creek Golf Course with his dad. One of Bob's greatest memories was that rainy day last September he and his father, brother, sister, brother-in-law, nephew Ryan, and both his sons went golfing together. It was like a rite of passage for his boys, they were finally old enough to play with the big boys. In 2004, Bob and his son Doug enjoyed a memorable day deer hunting with Bob's stepfather, who brought home a big buck that day, something Bob and Doug will never forget.

In 2000, Bob made the very difficult decision to move his family to Creston, Iowa, where he accepted a high-ranking position as the Plant Manager at The Trolly Candy Plant, which makes the infamous gummy bears. This job was definitely a big step up for Bob, not to mention challenging, though the most difficult aspect was being away from his beloved family. They were the people that he shared life with, and the people that he loved. He will live in their hearts forever, and be deeply missed.

Robert Alan Whittington, age 39, of Creston, Iowa, formerly of Holland, MI. and Grand Haven, MI, died Wednesday, December 20, 2006, at his home. His family includes his wife of 9 years, Kimberle (North) Whittington; children: Douglas, Carson and McKennah; mother, Shirley and Ed Schmidt of Nunica, MI; father, Richard and Susan Whittington of Holland, MI; grandmother, Ann Claussen of Spring Lake, MI; sister, Cheryl and Ron Elenbaas of Holland, MI; brother, Thomas and Amie Whittington of Plainwell, MI; in-laws, Richard and Pat Sibley of Grand Haven, MI; brother and sister-in-laws: Robert and Denise North Jr. of Grand Haven, MI, Richard and Brenda Sibley of Grand Haven, MI, David Sibley of Allegan, MI, and Susan and Todd Gills of Columbus, OH; many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Visitation will be held in Iowa at The Powers Funeral Home in Creston Iowa Saturday December 23, 2006.

Visitation in Holland, MI. will be 7-9 p.m. Tuesday December 26th at The Northwood Chapel Dykstra Life Story Funeral Home 295 Douglas Ave. Holland, MI 49424

Funeral services will be 1 pm Wednesday December 27, 2006 At The Northwood Chapel Dykstra Life Story Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions maybe made to The Whittington Children's education funds C/O Edward Jones Investments 162 East 8th street Holland, MI. 49423. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory of Robert or sign the online registry.