Obituary of Wells Whitton

March 11, 1932 – November 14, 2024 

Early in the morning on November 14, while mere mortals were brushing their teeth, Wells Whitton made good his escape. Now he’s roaming the cosmos, with his wife, Donna, his parents, Myrtle and Fred, and his many good friends as his guides. He was 92 years old.  

His family is grateful to have had him with them for so long. He leaves behind five offspring:  Jim, John (Tina), Bob (Donna), Sharon (Tom), and Dave (Alison). He has one grandson, Adam, whom he adored. His sister-in-law, Janet Rasmussen, has been an unending source of comfort and companionship. His kids would also like to acknowledge the superhuman support of their cousin, Michelle Mohaupt.  

In the course of Wells’s enviable run, he had been a golfer, a football player, a lover of country music, an astute, tasteful lover of classic film, and a respected and ethical teacher (first at HB Beal, then at Fanshawe College). Born between world wars, he’d been lucky – and he knew it.  Life was good. As he grew older, he became only more generous and compassionate to the plight of those who weren’t as lucky as he had been. He understood that the world he knew was not the world his kids and his grandson would inherit.  

He did not countenance BS in any form or suffer those who held themselves superior to other people. His favourite TV show was Justified, his favourite NFL team was the Detroit Lions, and he loved every movie that Burt Lancaster made. He had great taste. He was a tough SOB. But arguably his most enviable attribute was his radical acceptance. Always, with everything, but especially at the end. When his illness caught up with him, he didn’t complain or lament – he accepted his reality, with grace and with humour. 

Donna, his wife, predeceased him by 13 years, and when he passed, he was wearing his wedding ring.  

Per his wishes, and in accordance with his modest nature, there will be no celebration of life, but if you’d like to take a moment to celebrate this inspirational man, his family wouldn’t mind. You can also share your sentiments and memories here on the tribute wall. The Whittons will be gathering privately to honour him and intern him beside their beloved mom. 

Thank you to Dr. Mawji and the wonderful people at Manor Village for taking such good care of him. 

For anyone reading this who is able and inclined, his family would request that you donate in his  name to Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s research, or to CAMH in Toronto, an organization that  champions the underdog. Wells would love that.