Mildred Whitaker

Services for Mildred Catherine "Kay" Andrews Whitaker, 67, Whitehouse, will be held on Tuesday, April 3, 2007 at 1:00 pm at Stewart Family Funeral Home Chapel with Revs. Tim McKeown and Dale Perry officiating under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. Burial will be at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 at Chidester Cemetery in Chidester, AR. Mrs. Whitaker went to be with her Lord and Savior Saturday, March 31, 2007. She was born December 14, 1939 in Camden, Arkansas to the late Buster E. and Mildred Frances Walker Gean. Mrs. Whitaker grew up in Hearne, Texas graduating from Hearne High School in 1957. She attended Baylor University and graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She later received her Masters Degree in Education from SMU. She began her teaching career near Waco soon after college and taught in Tyler at John Tyler and then Robert E. Lee High Schools. Kay taught English for over 30 years retiring in 1997. She was very passionate about her students, and instilled in them a love of learning, often appearing in the classroom dressed in "flapper attire" as F. Scott Fitzgerald's Zelda. A strong advocate for the talented and gifted, she inspired each of her students to "march to the beat of a different drummer" in honor of her favorite author, Henry David Thoreau. She was a member of Friendly Baptist Church and enjoyed reading, camping, tai chi and traveling. However, her favorite thing to do was spending time with family and she loved putting on a "Mimi Camp" for her grandchildren. She is survived by her loving family including her husband of 11 years, Danny Whitaker; her daughters, Linda Andrews Wachel of Dallas, Amy Andrews McClendon and husband Frank O. McClendon IV of Plano; her son, Wes Alan Whitaker and wife Heather Whitaker of Whitehouse; and six grandchildren, Meredith Lindsay and Madison Taylor Wachel of Dallas, Mitchell Andrew and Megan Catherine McClendon of Plano, Jaymie and Alyssa Whitaker of Whitehouse. Pallbearers will be Wes Whitaker, Wayne Whitaker, Greg Stone, Ron Smith, Gaylen Gage and Jimmy Rogers. The family will receive friends from 6-8 pm Monday, April 2, 2007 at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Hwy., Tyler, Texas 75703. Memorials in honor of Kay Whitaker may be made to the American Cancer Society or to a charity of your choice. For more information or to express condolences, visit www.stewartfamilyfuneral.com

Mildred Whitaker

December 14, 1939 - March 31, 2007