Ted E “Pete” Whiting

Celebration of Life

Ted E "Pete" Whiting

On the morning of Aug. 14, 2020, the patriarch of the Whiting family went to be with our Father in Heaven. He was a remarkably talented man who lived a life filled with adventure. It all started in Elsinore, Utah, where he was born on May 27, 1933, the only child to Edwin Ted and Tressa "Tess" (Jacobsen) Whiting. He spent most of his childhood in Richfield, Utah, where his parents owned and operated an Oldsmobile-Cadillac dealership.

After graduating high school, he received a four-year Navy scholarship to the University of Utah. In Salt Lake City, he met the love of his life, Sally Ann Anderson. In accordance with the Navy requirements, they courted for four years and, following his graduation, they were married on June 12, 1955.

He was then accepted into Naval Post graduate school in Pensacola, Florida, where he continued his training in aviation. While in Florida, they welcomed their first child, Gregory Ted. To further enhance his education, he went on to Kansas City, Missouri, for multi-engine flight training. Their first military duty station was in Oahu, Hawaii. There, he enjoyed flying on many missions, working his way to Lt. Commander with a crew of 19, flying over the Manchurian Coast and spying on the Russians. In Hawaii, they added two sons, Michael J. and Jon Scott, to their family. In the pursuit of learning and, with an interest in the weather, an opportunity to study meteorology came available, which then took them to Monterey, California. Upon completion, his next deployment was to the Artic Coast and the family could not move with him. It was at this time the decision was made to leave the military and return to Richfield, Utah, to help his parents in the family dealership. After a short time, he wanted to be independent and have his own business, which led them to Livingston. There, he owned and operated Whiting Chevrolet-Cadillac. He ran a successful GM business for 30-plus years, which rewarded him with many trips to Italy, France, the Holy Land (Israel) and Canada. In Livingston, they also expanded their family with finally two daughters, Tessa Ann and Sali Susan.

Over his years, he enjoyed many hobbies: boating, fishing, camping, hiking, skiing, hunting and, of course, flying. He even did off-road dirt-biking with his older boys. But, most of all, he was a talented artist. He created many amazing, detailed carvings, most inspired by Michelangelo sculptures, following their travels to Europe. His talents did not end there. He could repair or build almost anything; nothing intimidated him.

After retirement from the car business, they moved to Billings, where he could take to the skies again. He joined a team of pilots who would fly medical staff to remote rural areas. This sparked an interest to have his own airplane, which resulted in the purchase of a Mooney. He then went on to build two airplanes: a Piper Cub and a Super Cub, which led to much more travel and adventure.

As age would have it, the airplanes were then sold, and they took to the roads. They found Texas to be their area of choice, due to boating/fishing and the friendly people. They enjoyed six years as "Snowbirds" in their beautiful house on wheels, their motorhome.

In May 2019, he suffered a major stroke, which left him paralyzed on the left side. He was able to be in the comfort of his home after rehabilitation with his family by his side, caring for his every need. He fought a good fight for 13 months until his adventures were no more.

He was the patriarch of this family and will be greatly missed!