David Preston Whatley's Obituary
David Preston Whatley
A member of the “Greatest Generation”, David Preston Whatley, devoted husband, loving father, grandfather, brother and uncle died peacefully June 21, 2015 at home in Longview, Texas. He was born March 25, 1924 in Athens, Texas, the fifth of seven children born to Barney H. and Hettie M. (Stovall) Whatley.
During the early years of the Great Depression, the family moved to the Nueces Canyon area north of Uvalde, Texas. It was there on the banks of the clear Nueces River that David developed the calm, steady and cheerful spirit which would mark his character throughout his life. Even as a child and young man, he was provider for his family, hunting with a single shot .22 to supplement their provisions, trapping along the banks of Bullhead Creek and herding cattle by horseback across the steep hills and canyons to Leakey, Texas.
David attended a one room school house in Vance, Texas and gloried in swimming in the Nueces River as often as he could. He graduated in 1944 from Camp Wood High School where he played football and made many life-long friends.
After graduation, David enlisted in the US Marine Corps during WWII. After completing basic training at Camp Pendleton, California he was assigned to the 1st Division (and then the 3rd Division) and shipped to Guam as one of the many replacements for the fallen Marines killed in the taking of Iwo Jima. At the end of the war, he was assigned to the highly regarded “China Marines” who were given the task to guard the railroads in and out of Beijing, China from Japanese soldiers.
After honorable discharge, David attended Tyler Junior College, and then joined Humble Oil and Refining Company. While on a blind date he met, and shortly after, married his beloved Delores on September 27, 1952. For the next 63 years, they continued a loving and devoted partnership as they raised and nurtured their three children.
Working for Humble Oil certainly gave the newlyweds the opportunity to develop strong marital bonds and test their mettle as they moved 17 times in 17 years across Louisiana and Texas. They eventually settled in Ballinger, Texas in 1964 where the young family put down roots and thrived. David was elected to the city council and was a respected member of the Rotary Club and the Boy Scouts of America.
In 1975, in order to care for their respective elderly parents, David and Delores relocated to Longview, Texas, where David continued to be the kind, relaxed, joyful anchor that his children, grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews knew him to be.
But over the many decades, it was always Camp Wood to which he returned. It was there he found peace and solitude throughout his long life. It was there that he brought his young wife, and later, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It was there, that each new arrival was “baptized” into the cool blue-green waters of the Nueces River. It was at Camp Wood that he felt most at home, and it is there that his family has their warmest memories of him.
He is preceded in death by his parents Hubert and Hettie May, his sisters Margaret, Ida Marie, Evelyn, Hettie May, and brothers Hubert and Billy. He is survived by his wife Delores; son David and daughter-in-law Cathie of Leander, son Danny and daughter-in-law Vilma of El Paso; daughter Debra Tietje and son-in-law Barry of Elton, Louisiana; granddaughters Adrian Whatley Graham, Alyssa Whatley, Amanda Whatley, grandson Austin Whatley; great-grandchildren Gabriel and Gannon Martinez as well as numerous nephews and nieces.
We salute our fallen warrior, and with every Marine we remember their motto, "Semper Fidelis." It is not how well we begin but how we finish.
The Whatley family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, June 26, 2015 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Memorial services will be held Saturday, June 27, 2015, at 10:00 AM. A military burial will follow at approximately 1:00 PM at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Texas West, 220 US 67, Mt. Pleasant, Texas. His grandchildren will serve as pallbearers. Service arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Rader Funeral home, 1617 Judson Road, Longview, Texas. 903-753-3373
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