Shirley D. Whitney, 91, of Warwick died Wednesday, November 23, 2016 at West View Nursing Home with her loving family at her side in West Warwick. She was the beloved wife of the late Norman E. “Red” Whitney. They were married over 51 years.
Born in West Warwick, Shirley was a daughter of the late Harold N. and Blanche (Ducharme) Larson. She was a graduate of Lockwood High School, Class of 1943 and was a member of the RI Honor Society and was Class Secretary. Shirley retired from Kent Hospital after 20 years as a Medical Staff Coordinator and Assistant to the Medical Director in 1989. She attended Francis Countway Library of Medicine in Boston and earned a degree as a Health Sciences Library Technician and organized the first medical library at Kent County Memorial Hospital in 1971. Shirley also attended school in Ann Arbor, MI and became a Certified Quality Assurance Analyst. Along with Francis Lamb, MD, they organized the first Quality Assurance Program at Kent County Memorial Hospital in 1972.
Family was the love of her life! She was a sports enthusiast. Shirley was a lifelong resident of Warwick, Historic Pontiac Village. Shirley was lifelong member of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Warwick and served on the Church Council and various Church Committees. She was a member of the Board of Directors of Matthew XXV that oversaw the development of the Matthew XXV Senior Apartments. She was a member of the National Association of Medical Staff Coordinators, the RI Health Sciences Librarians and the RI Quality Assurance Forum. Shirley was also a founder and the secretary of the Pontiac Village Association from 1979-2015, volunteered at the Pontiac Public Library and served as an election worker in the City of Warwick for over ten years.
Shirley is survived by her loving children: Norman E. “Rusty” Whitney Jr. (Joyce), Stephen A. Whitney (Dale) and Laurie A. Linden (Fred), all of Warwick; six grandchildren: Christopher, Jessica and James Whitney, Daniel and Cathrene Linden and Bethany Linden-Gallucci; and six great-grandchildren: Stephen Fancher, Christopher Whitney, Jr., Andrew Barboza, Abigail and Autumn Gallucci and Lusa Belle Linden-Curren. Shirley was the loving grandmother of the late Andrew F. Linden, and the sister of the late Harold B. Larson and Ruth Cavanaugh.
Her funeral will be held on Saturday, December 3, 2016 at 11 a.m. in St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, 389 Greenwich Avenue, Warwick. Relatives and friends are invited and may call at the Urquhart-Murphy Funeral Home on Friday, December 2, 2016 from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Burial will take place in St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery.
Gifts in her memory may be made to: St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church Memorial Fund, 389 Greenwich Ave., Warwick, RI 02886 or The Pontiac Village Association, c/o Anne Marie Houle, 15 Miner Street, Warwick, RI 02886. www.murphyfuneralhomes.org
