On May 6, 2020, Richard James Whitney, loving husband and father of two, passed away due to complications following brain surgery at the age of 48.
Rich was born Feb. 26, 1972 in Port Townsend, Washington to Cecilia (Riecke) Knoph and Kermit Whitney. He would go on to have two children, Berkley Whitney and Ezekiel Whitney with the love of his life Teresa Schultz.
After graduating from Port Townsend High School, Rich traveled down the West Coast with friends in his VW Bus. His travels would bring him to Oklahoma, where he met Teresa. Together they would raise two children in Port Townsend and share a lasting love of 27 years, until his death.
Rich had an extraordinary sense of humor. Often putting a smile on the faces of those around him by just saying one word. His passion for food would lead him to various chef and head chef positions across PT for several years, before leaving the restaurant industry to become a caregiver at San Juan Villa, a care center specializing in dementia and alshimers. He found joy in being able to make our senior citizens laugh, and learn their stories. He also shared a deep love for sports, and was best known for his life long support of the Oakland Raiders football team. You could hear him cheering “Go baby, go!” for any of his teams, even when they were losing. His spirit lives on in his passion for music, movies and pop culture references.
He is preceded in death by his father, Kermit, and his mother Cecilia. Survived by his wife Teresa, and children Berkley and Ezekiel, as well as brother Scott Whitney. A year has passed since the death of Rich, due to covid restrictions the family was unable to hold a service. A Celebration of Life will be held in Fort Worden State Park, socially distanced near the Kitchen Shelter on May 2, 2021.
