John E. Whiting

John Edwin Whiting passed away peacefully at home on August 20, 2021. By his side were his beloved wife of 50 years, Carol, his dog, Sassy, and several of his many children.

Born at home in Redwood City, California on July

28, 1925, John arrived 15 minutes after his identical twin brother, Sam. Father, Sam J. Whiting, Sr., a real estate broker, and mother, Lena, along with older sister, Harriette, raised the twin boys first in Redwood City, then San Francisco, and finally, Pleasanton, California, where they settled across the street from the Alameda County Fairgrounds race-track. Much of John’s childhood was spent on and around the race-track, galloping horses on their morning workouts for 25 cents a ride.

John graduated from Amador Valley High School in 1943 and immediately enlisted in the US Navy’s V-5 naval aviator program. He spent the next two years training at various locations around the US. While recovering from a broken leg at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, John helped care for many severely wounded comrades, an experience that left him grateful for the war’s end in August 1945.

In 1946, John enrolled at Stanford University and married hometown sweetheart, Anita Arnaudon. The first of their five daughters (Sharon, Lynda, Joan, Nancy, and Laura) arrived in late 1947. Admittedly less than a model student at Stanford, John recalled spending more time at football games, on the golf course, and working on the Bay Meadows starting gate, than in the library.

After Stanford, John followed his brother into the law and enrolled at U.C. Hastings. He lived with his young family in Richmond and worked nights at the Palace Hotel parking garage while studying for his J.D. In 1953, upon passing the bar, John opened a law office in Livermore, and also worked nights as a janitor at the Lawrence Livermore Lab to make ends meet. In 1957, John joined the small L.A. law firm of Flint and Mackay, where he enjoyed taking on the legal challenges of the Hearst newspapers and other high profile clients. He also discovered an ability as a trial attorney which became his bread-and-butter over the next 30 years.

Following a stint as Half Moon Bay city attorney, in 1961 John moved to Merced, California, where he joined the law firm of renowned litigator, C. Ray Robinson. He also married Carol Ann Carlson, a union that brought him two sons (Adam and Jack) and a step-daughter (Cynthia). In 1964, at his new wife’s urging, John moved to San Francisco, where he built a successful trial practice with partner, Dick Boyd. Yet despite his success and a beautiful house at Moss Beach, John’s second marriage ended divorce in 1968.

In 1969, John returned to Merced where he opened his own office, and even trained a few young lawyers, including nephew, Russ Whiting. John particularly enjoyed helping local ranchers navigate complex legal and regulatory issues surrounding their land and water rights. One particular rancher, Joseph Gallo, sought out John’s representation after serving as a juror on a case he tried. This chance meeting led to a lifelong friendship that continued with Joe’s son, Mike Gallo. John remained trusted counsel to Joseph Gallo Farms until his retirement.

In 1971, John married Carol Lorene Freeze, which began a 50 year marriage that brought two new step-daughters, Karen, and Kimberly, and numerous adventures with their extended brood of Adam, Jack, Karen, Kim, and Laura (not to mention, a Labrador and a dachshund). John also enlisted his family in his “dream” projects, including a short-lived cattle ranch, and Almond Creek Farms, a thoroughbred breeding and racing operation that resulted in many beloved horses with heart, gumption, and even a few county fair wins.

John loved his large extended family and enjoyed bringing them all together at reunions he organized in 2007 and 2015. These gatherings let John share family stories, which were jewels he collected, treasured, and polished with each re-telling. No mishap or embarrassment was off limits, and the family never left him short of material. John captured many of his own childhood stories in a book, “Twin Memories,” which he “published” at the 2015 reunion.

After 40+ years in Merced, John and Carol moved to Windsor, California in 2014, and then to Loganville, Georgia in 2019, to retire near daughters Karen, and Kimberly, and their families.

John leaves behind his wife of 50 years, Carol L. Whiting, 6 children Sharon Eells, Lynda Walker, Joan Edington, Nancy Bramell, Adam Whiting, and Jack Whiting; 3 stepchildren, Karen Gibson, Kimberly Mayfield, and Cynthia Claassen-Fox; 24 grandchildren, 35 greatgrandchildren, and even 2 great-great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his father, Sam J. Whiting, Sr. in 1958, his older sister Harriette V. Morgan in 1961, his brother, Sam J. Whiting, Jr. and sister-in-law, Mary Anne Whiting, in 1973, his mother, Lena Whiting, in 1985, his daughter, Laura Jones in 1999, grand-daughter, Anna Marie Ronda in 2002, and nephew, Russell G. Whiting, in 2003.

With sorrow in our hearts, our dearest mother Theresa Spiteri has passed with her adoring children blessed to be at her side at the hour of her calling.

Born in Marsa, Malta to Spiru and Antonina Spiteri, she was the youngest of eight siblings. She lost her mother at the age of four and her father at eleven. Although all of her family contributed to her upbringing, her wonderful sisters Maria and Ines —with help from Angela, a kind neighbor— assumed the role of protective mothers. Together, they helped raise Tessie to be the gentle, loving, independent and fun-loving young woman of deep faith who had a special devotion to the Virgin Mary.

In 1950, Tessie married the love of her life, Frank Spiteri, at Holy Trinity Church, Marsa. Within five years, they had built their own house in Hamrun and became the parents of their first three children: Tony, Betty and Miriam.

Mom and Dad migrated their young family to San Francisco, California and settled in the Bayview District — which at that time had a flourishing Maltese community, church, school and social club. They eventually bought a house in the nearby Portola District and immediately made many long and lasting friends. Mom excelled at a variety of jobs but found her true calling at Mt. St. Joseph’s Orphanage. Working alongside the Daughters of Charity, she served as a mother surrogate to many teenaged girls.

Mom welcomed their youngest daughter, Dorothy, and in the coming years Mom was also made a proud grandmother and great-grandmother. Besides cherishing her own, Mom also day-cared for many other children who affectionally called her Nanna and were lovingly spoiled by her kindness, tenderness and yummy barley soup! In 1984, our Mom lost our Dad after his two-year battle with leukemia. She tended to his every need during that difficult time.

Despite losing both parents by age 11 and being widowed at 52, Mom never let life’s setbacks define her or hold her back. Although her life could never be the same, she had an uncanny ability to constantly adjust and persevere. She continued to live her life to the very fullest, enjoying every possible moment, filling it with family events and activities with her circle of loyal friends.

Mom began to travel frequently to Malta and to Chatham, England to visit her siblings, her in-laws and their families whom she cherished.

Her last trip home to Malta was during the Easter season of 2011 and included a separate visit to the Vatican — one of her life’s dreams come true. She participated in the Papal Mass celebrated on Palm Sunday in St. Peter’s Square and in all of the events of Easter Week in Malta.

Mom leaves behind her four children; Tony (Rosalie) Spiteri, Betty (Larry) Hayes, Miriam (Marcel) Lacues and Dorothy (Michael) Sala. She is fondly remembered as Nanna by her six grown grandchildren: Adrian (Erica), Randy (Pamela), Michelle, Nicole (Steve), Matt and Kelly and as Buz-Nanna to six great-grandchildren (Eva, Danielle, Charlotte, Logan, Corissa and Ellie). Mom is also survived by her brother Gejtu (Violet) Spiteri and sister-in-law Emily (Anthony) Degiorgio, and many nephews/nieces and cousins in Malta, England and the San Francisco Bay Area.

We wish to sincerely thank Mom’s dedicated circle of caregivers who unfailingly saw to her every comfort. These angels cared for her as if she was their own mother: Larraine and Pinky; Vivian, Cassandra, Sesilia, Malia, Zee, Noxie, Non, and Karina; hospice nurses and doctors at Pathways and Vitas; Dr. David Jones; and Anthony Paladino who gave Mom Holy Communion every week until COVID arrived. We will never forget any of you. We will always be grateful that God found all of you to help take such special care of our Mother. No words are ever adequate to describe our deep love and the closeness we all felt for our Mother. And although our hearts can never be whole again, we are consoled that she is again with our Dad, her mother and father, and her siblings in Heaven. We rejoice in Mom’s unselfish life that touched and helped so many.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Theresa Spiteri’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: https://www. stjude.org/donate/donateto-st-jude.html

Services: Visitation will be held at Our Lady of Angels Church, 1721 Hillside Drive, Burlingame, California 94010 on Thursday, September 16, 2021 between 6:15 - 8:00 PM, with a Rosary being offered at 7:00 PM. The Funeral Mass will also be held at Our Lady of Angels Church on Friday, September 17 at 10:00 AM. Interment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 1500 Mission Road, Colma, California 94014. Family and friends are then invited to lunch at the Elks Club, 920 Stonegate Drive, South San Francisco immediately afterwards. Please note that masks are required at all services and will be available if needed.