Obituary of Etha May Whitley

Etha (Ethel) May Whitley passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 15th, 2022. Etha was born May 17th, 1929, in Aberdeen, Mississippi. She was the only child of Archie and Carrie (Bernette) McGhee. She attended school in Aberdeen, Mississippi. She met and after a short courtship, married Willie T. Whitley on October 12, 1946. To their union 13 children were born. Etha affectionately called them “her baker’s dozen”. Willie and Etha relocated to Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1957. Etha received the Holy Ghost in 1964 under the late Bishop L. W. Davis and joined the Church of God Pentecostal family. She served on the cleaning committee, as the choir president, choir member and eventually a church Mother. Etha was a faithful member and brought all her children to church. Etha was employed at Borgess hospital, she left Borgess to continue her education and obtained her cosmetology license. She worked at Louise’s and Eula’s Beauty Salon in Kalamazoo. She eventually went back to work at Borgess Hospital where she retired in 1995. Etha enjoyed getting her hair & nails done and she had a real eye for fashion. Etha also had many talents and hobbies, such as cooking, baking, gardening, fishing, painting, sewing, traveling, and really enjoyed going on cruises. Etha loved to pay some of her grandchildren to come over and do chores and work in the garden. She also taught her children and grandchildren how to cook, bake, can fruits/vegetables and even make jams, pickles, and her famous cha-cha. Etha was also known for making her delicious pies. Family was very important to her, the family always gathered at her house on Sunday for dinner, but the family grew too large for the home. It was her desire to have family close, so the “Whitley Family Thanksgiving” was born. Etha leaves to cherish her memory 11 surviving children: sons-A.L. (Marietta), Charlie D (Sherry) and Palis Whitley. Daughters-Jerlean (George) Grayson, Eloise (Joseph) Dyson, Shanda (Lou) Hill, Christina Martin, Janice (Virgil) Overton, Valerie Longuemire, Tamela Stewart, Tarsha Whitley-London. Etha also leaves behind a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. Sisters-in-laws Ora Mae Kelly and Bernice Whitley a brother-in-law KZ Wallace and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and Church family. Etha is preceded in death by her parents Archie and Carrie McGhee, her husband Willie T. Whitley, in-laws William T. Whitley Sr. and Mary Lou Whitley (James). 2 daughters: Willie S. Beville and Mary Lois Reynolds, grandsons Jeremy and Jermaine Harris, Brian Grayson, Orlando Beville, great-grandson Javonte Moore. Brothers-in-laws Andrew and Jessie Whitley, John Smith, Sisters-in-laws Oneda Smith, Donnie Gunn, Doris Wallace and Arlene Graves, sons-in-law Bruce Longuemire and Roosevelt Beville.