John Wiley Whitehead

Our husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend will forever be remembered as a unique man who could find humor in almost any situation. He chose not to take many things too seriously, understanding the value of living his life to the fullest. He lived on his own terms and did everything he could to help others. He was a talented carpenter who could build and/or fix just about anything and always took pride in doing things right. He loved his family and absolutely doted on his grandchildren, who constantly amazed him by their antics. His oftentimes gruff exterior camouflaged a huge heart that, try as he might, would never let him hold a grudge. John W. Whitehead was born in Alexandria, LA on February 2, 1950 and passed away at his home in Natchitoches on September 27, 2014, of a sudden massive heart attack. He grew up in Vicksburg, MS; San Antonio, TX; and Dry Prong, LA. He graduated from Dry Prong High School in 1968 and enlisted in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam conflict where he served two tours of duty. After he was discharged from the service in 1972, he attended Northwestern State University where he met Betty Bennett, “the only woman he ever needed to impress.” They were married in 1974. To this union, just 15 days shy of 40 years, was born two daughters and one son, who were the lights of his life. In 2001, he and Betty suffered the devastating loss of their son in an offshore accident. John retired in 2008 as Facility Maintenance Manager, after 30 years with Northwestern State University. He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Natchitoches. He is preceded in death by his son, John B. Whitehead; his parents, Raymond “Pete” and Faye Whitehead; his father and mother-law, Charles and Nell Bennett; and 3 paternal uncles, Ed, J.N. and Luke Whitehead. He is survived by his wife of almost 40 years, Betty Bennett Whitehead, his daughters Jill Goodling (Alex) and Jana Holmes (Lamuel), and four grandchildren: Zachary and Christian Holmes and Lila and Evie Goodling. He is also survived by two brothers: Dale (Barbara) and Kenneth (Lena) Whitehead of Bentley and Dry Prong, respectively, and two sisters, Linda Winkler (Lester) of Montgomery and Barbara Dianne Hunt (James) of Forest Hill. Also left to cherish his memory are his aunts—Alma Head, Lorene Simmons, and Dorothy Whitehead; his uncle—Clip Whitehead; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and their respective spouses. Visitation will be held from 5:00-9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 30, 2014, at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home. Funeral service will take place at FUMC Natchitoches in the Crossroads Sanctuary at 10:00 on Wednesday, October 1, 2014, with Reverends Eddie Carpenter and Doug De Graffenried officiating. Burial will follow at Moore Cemetery in Grant Parish. Pallbearers honored to serve will be: Malcolm Durr, Marcus Durr, Matthew Durr, Alex Goodling, Johnny Ray Hart, Lamuel Holmes, Garrett Hunt, and Ronnie Smith. Honorary pallbearers will be his grandchildren: Zachary, Lila, Evie and Christian.