W.H. "Jr." Whitley

William Henry Whitley Jr., affectionately known as “Jr”, 85, of Concord, passed away on Saturday, November 5, 2022.

He was born November 17, 1936 in Mecklenburg County to the late William Henry Whitley Sr., and Robbie Lee Walters Whitley. He was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy Dionne Simpson Whitley and his siblings, Walter Ralph Whitley, Fred Henry Whitley, Helen Virginia Whitley Smith and William Lee Whitley, Sr.

“Jr” was raised around his father’s business: Whitley’s Funeral Home, Kannapolis, N.C. where his family lived behind the business at South Main Street.

“Jr” was educated in the Kannapolis City Schools at McIver School, graduate of Winecoff High School and then graduated from Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C. with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1958. After college, Jr. joined his father in part of the family business: Carolina Cemetery Park Corporation and purchased it from his father in 1976.

Being active in his community and business minded, ”Jr” was past President of the Kannapolis Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Jaycees, N.C. Cemetery Association, N.C. Crematory Association, Rotary Club of Cabarrus County where he received the Paul Harris Fellow Award, which is the highest in Rotary and was a three time appointee to the N.C. Cemetery Commission by the Governor of N.C. He served on the Bicentennial Committee for Kannapolis. He was also a Mason and a Shriner.

Those left to cherish his memory include four daughters, Susan Dionne Whitley Williams  with two children, Tara Williams Huerta (Oscar) and Chad Robert Williams; Ebbie Jo Whitley Hendren (Wayne), with two children, Charles Edwin “Trey” Monteith  III (Hunter),  and Mallorie Caitlin Monteith Haba (Daniel); Robin Whitley Lancaster,  (Scott), with two children, Lindsey Lee Lancaster Hartsell (Joe) and Laura LeAnn Lancaster Lance (Eric); Kathy Dawn Whitley Lemmon, with three children, Bailey Ayn Lemmon Polson (Josh), Robert Pressman Lemmon, III and Merritt Whitley Lemmon McGee (Josh), 11 great grandchildren and faithful friend, Betty Babb.

Funeral services will be at 1:00 PM Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at Carolina Memorial Park Mausoleum officiated by Rev. Wes Judy. His family will receive friends prior to the service from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Mausoleum Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mt Olivet United Methodist Church, 301 Mt. Olivet Rd., Concord, NC 28025.

Online condolences may be left at www.whitleysfuneralhome.com