John Michael “Mike” Whitehead of Water Valley, MS died September 18, 2015 at the age of 65, surrounded by his wife and children in Sanctuary Hospice House in Tupelo, MS. Mike was born on March 22, 1950 in Little Rock, AR to Mary Elizabeth Tanner and John Will Whitehead. He graduated from Westwood High School in Memphis, TN in 1968 and went on to get a degree in respiratory therapy from Memphis State University. He was married 45 years to Jeanette Anthony Whitehead, his high school sweetheart. He spent 45 years as a respiratory therapist working in various settings from Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Water Valley.
Mike is survived by his wife Jeanette, of Water Valley, MS; his son, Anthony Whitehead of Oxford, MS; his daughter Jennifer Lucus (John Lucus) of Water Valley, MS; his son Dan Whitehead (Leigh Ann) of Tupelo, MS; and his brother, David Whitehead of Memphis, TN. He was “Papa” to four grandchildren, Tripp Lucus, Reagan Whitehead, Edie Parker Whitehead, and Tanner Whitehead.
He is preceded in death by his mother, Elizabeth McDougall, his father John Whitehead, and a sister Kathy Whitehead, of Memphis, TN.
Visitation is scheduled for Monday, September 21th at Seven Oaks Funeral Home in Water Valley, MS from 5-8 PM. A funeral is scheduled for Tuesday September 22nd at Seven Oaks at 11 AM. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Mike’s life. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the children’s program at the First United Methodist Church of Water Valley, the American Cancer Society, or the Sanctuary Hospice House in Tupelo, MS.