Philip “Phil” Whitney
February 17, 1934-July 16, 2023
Phil Whitney passed away on July 16, 2023 at the age of 89 succumbing to Parkinson’s Disease. Phil was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2015 and in his own words conveyed, “It’s no walk in the park.”
Phil was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Myrtle Whitney, his brothers: Chuck, Lloyd, Clyde, Marvin, Ivan, and his sisters Ruby Whitney and Ruth Berg.
Phil is survived by his wife of 60+ years Arva, his children Linda (Leo) Kirk, Andy Whitney, and Angela (Rob) Andrews; his grandchildren: Trisha, Doug, Danica, Stephanie, Alex, Justin, Kristy, and Whitney; his brother Fred (Ann) Whitney, and his sister, Jean (Ron) Omberg; and 22 great grandchildren.
Philip Andrew Whitney was born on February 17, 1934 to Raymond and Myrtle Whitney on their family farm in Grandview, Washington. He was one of ten children; seven boys and three girls. Those were tough times where there was hard work for all.
Phil graduated from Grandview High School in 1952 and went on to complete a Bachelor of Science in Engineering at Washington State College (now known as WSU) in 1956. Phil was not an “office” person and although he had an engineering degree, farming was his profession and passion.
Another passion of Phil’s was pitching in mens’ softball leagues. He was well known as the “pitcher that wore no mitt.” As a young man, a mitt was an expensive luxury so….no mitt. He honed his pitching talent by throwing corn cobs to the pigs with the barn as the “backstop.” The pigs learned to remain in their sheds until the last cob of corn was thrown. He sustained a traumatic brain injury while playing softball in a tournament on May 28, 1976 so a helmet was added as additional equipment during all softball games but still no mitt.
Another passion of Phil’s was flying in small airplanes/piloting small airplanes. He obtained his pilot’s license in 1962 and was fortunate enough to own a few airplanes. There were many shared flying stories and probably many unshared flying mishaps as well.
Phil’s love of family was expressed in all of the adventures he had with his grandchildren with pretty much no activity ruled out; a dream for the grandkids and a nightmare for the parents. No serious injuries occurred (or were reported).
Phil was an expert story teller spewing tales full of detail, emotion, and of course laughter. He would add “Don’t let a few facts get in the way of a good story.”
Phil was also known for his sayings which included: “I never worked any harder or had any less,” “when pigs fly,” “does a chicken have lips?” He would always finish a visit with someone with the words, “I’m glad you got to see me.”
A private family celebration of life will be held. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: www.Parkinson.org, https://braintrauma.org, or your local hospice program.