Roy "Junior" A. Whitener

Roy “Junior” A. Whitener, 86, of Valdese, NC died Friday, November 27, 2015.  Born in Mecklenburg County, VA on September 17, 1929, he was the son of the late Roy Alexander Whitener and Mary J. Hershman Whitener.  Junior was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War and was a member of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church.  He was a retired employee of Shadowline, was an avid gardener, and a former Exalted Ruler of the Elk’s Lodge.  He never met a stranger and never made an enemy.

Junior is survived by his wife of 62 years, Cillar Smith Whitener of the home; sons, Terry Whitener and his wife, Melanie, of Terrell, NC and Jeff Whitener and his wife, Sandy, of Valdese; grandchildren, Lindsay Loyer and her husband, Brian, and Jeremy Whitener; great-grandchildren, Tyler and Lily Loyer; a brother, Walter Whitener and his wife, Earline, of Morganton; a sister, Carol Dorman of Las Vegas, NV; and several nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015 at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church.  The funeral will be held in the church at noon with the Rev. Dr. Larry Cline officiating.  Burial will follow in the church cemetery with military honors provided by the N.C. National Guard and the Caldwell County Veterans Honor Guard.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.

Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family with the arrangements.