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FITCHBURG- John Lloyd Whitney of Westminster Street, Fitchburg, quietly passed away at home on the morning of Aug. 3, 2012, at the end of a year-long struggle with lung cancer.
Born Dec. 30, 1960, John was the fifth of six sons and sixth of seven children to Lester and Phyllis Whitney of Amherst. If growing up in a family of nine can ever be considered normal, John's childhood was exactly so, with the annual pilgrimage to the family seaside cottage in Harrington, Maine, at the epicenter. Guard Point had no electricity or telephone, but it had everything else that seven active children considered essential for fun, adventure and many, many years of memories. John was able to visit Guard Point again this summer in the company of his younger brother Steven and wife Suzanne on a couple of trips that brought him tremendous joy and not a few meals with steamed clams at the top of the menu.
The major event of John's childhood that made a lifelong impression on him was a 7 month sabbatical stay in England and Europe in 1973. The cathedrals, palaces, architecture, museums, history and art that surrounded the Whitney family everywhere they turned found fertile ground in John's 12 year old imagination.
After John graduated from Amherst Regional High School in 1979, he chose to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. and, with great deliciousness, graduated in 1981. Although he did not work long-term in the restaurant industry, his love of great food and good cooking continued long past when the chemo took away his appetite-- he still loved to have involved conversations about favorite recipes.
In the mid-1980's, John started hand carving, first wood, then soft stone, and thus was born 'Gothic Traditions.' John and his brother Dean carved and reproduced gargoyle-styled garden and home decorative sculptures for several years, first at Dean's home in Rindge, N.H., then in a rented studio in Jaffrey, N.H., which then moved to Leominster with a new partner, Kevin Millea of Fitchburg. The sculptures ranged from 3' -3', and all had a touch of John's wry sense of humor. During this time there were several newspaper articles published about the company, one of which highlighted an oversize chess set created as a fundraiser for the Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, N.H.
Although Gothic Traditions came to an end, John's love of carving did not, and he created a series of wood panels referred to (in architecture) as 'linen fold,' which were featured in an article published by 'Woodworker's Journal' in November/December 1992. John's last project was completed in September 2011, a beautiful carved granite and field stone creation which serves as the headstone memorial for his father, Lester, who died in 2008. John's ashes will rest there eventually.
In 1991, John met Patricia Desmond of Fitchburg. Together they owned an 1857 farmhouse in Fitchburg and spent many happy years there. Over time, the house has been renovated, the barn made over, and an outside landscape for John's gargoyles lovingly created, complete with his pride and joy-- a fish pond. John and Patty were married in the back yard in April 1996. The back yard was also the personal kingdom of 'Dusty,' who, according to John, is the 'very best dog in the world-- ever!' Dusty feels exactly the same about John, too.
During his years in Fitchburg, John worked at 'Tri-City Home Improvements' of Fitchburg, 'For The Love of Tile' in Westminster and 'MJM Building and Tile' in Lunenburg. His skills and knowledge grew in direct proportion to that of his employers and skilled co-workers, to whom he was always very grateful.
John was generous to a fault, primarily with his time, hard work and expertise. If there was a big (or small) project to be found anywhere, one could always count on John to be there-- with tools. He helped his parents when they converted two small bedrooms into a single large room; when they re-modeled their kitchen a few years later, John was there. John would accept no remuneration for his time or labor, so Lester and Phyllis flew with John and Patty to England in 2000, where they were able to visit some of John's favorite childhood haunts from that trip 27 years earlier, and together found some new ones as well.
John's general contracting expertise was more recently put to the test at his brother Scott's house in South Deerfield when the daylight basement was converted, the bedroom remodeled, and a new bathroom created. No trip to England this time, but the lobster dinners on Labor Day went a good ways towards settling the score. Of course, all that 'good will' melted away when the croquet set came out, and the brothers Whitney went at their 'Extreme Croquet Tournaments' with true Whitney spirit, not to mention a little 'blue' language and some old-fashioned croquet 'poison.'
John was, in many ways, a simple man who simply loved his wife, his family, his friends, his animals, his work and his art. He was infinitely kind and considerate, and from the day his father died four years ago, he called his mother virtually every evening. He was loved by many, and will be missed by all.
John is survived by his wife, Patty of Fitchburg; his mother, Phyllis of Amherst; sister, Marcia of Cumberland, Maine; brothers, Mark of Amherst, Scott and wife Kathy of South Deerfield, Dean and wife Karla of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, David and wife Kristin of Evergreen, Colo., and Steven and wife Suzanne of Loudonville, N.Y. John will also be missed by his four nephews and nieces and Patty's sister Judy and husband Andy Koski.
Visiting hours will be held Friday, Aug. 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Brandon Funeral Home, 305 Wanoosnoc Rd., Fitchburg. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Humane Society, The HSUS Dept MEMIT9, 2100 L St. NW, Washington, DC 20037 or the ASPCA, 424 East 92nd Street, New York, NY 10128.
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AMHERST - Lester Frank Whitney, 80, of 48 Jeffrey Lane, Amherst, died unexpectedly in the early morning hours of July 31st, 2008, after a prolonged stay at Brigham Womens Hospital in Boston. Lester was born March 21, 1928 in New Bedford MA to Walter and Orasie LaPointe Whitney, but grew up in Hampden ME on the family farm. Lester graduated from Hampden Academy class of 1945, and went to UMaine-Orono for his Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering. After graduation, he headed west to Michigan State University in East Lansing MI to pursue his Master's Degree, where he was joined a year later by his fiancée, nursing student Phyllis Burrill of Brewer ME. The young couple briefly pursued Lester's professional career in Michigan and Wisconsin before landing in Presque Isle ME and Brattleboro VT. After several moves around New England, it was decided to seek the stability of academic life, and in 1959, the growing Whitney family descended on 48 Jeffrey Lane in Amherst and Lester started as an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts. After a few years, 8 and a half Whitneys packed up once again and in a used Pontiac Station wagon hauling a homemade trailer, went back to East Lansing. In a whirlwind 15 months, Lester completed all the coursework for his PhD. Returning to Amherst, he finished his dissertation amid the cacophony of 7 young children, a demanding schedule at UMass, now as an Associate Professor, interspersed with a stint on the Amherst Planning Board. Whether as a thrifty, self-reliant son of New England or as the inveterate problem-solver he was, there was never a project too big (or too small), difficult or impossible; making over the basement at Jeffrey Lane, adding a sunroom, building an A-frame camp at Lake Wyola or simply the never-ending 'improvements'. Lester's 10 years in industry and his 32 years at UMass were punctuated by his innovation and doggedness (to the occasional dismay of his students and fellow faculty); from the design of farm equipment, more efficient harvesting and manufacturing processes, to irrigation techniques in arid climates, Professor Whitney's innovative work and that of his students contributes in many unsung ways to a better life for millions of people around the globe. With the children grown, graduated and gone, Lester and Phyllis finally had the time and energy to pursue a few interests of their own. The ballroom dancing came first, and then the traveling. Phyllis played their timeshares like a virtuoso, and they traveled for many years, primarily to the UK and Australia, but also Europe, South America and Russia. Lester and Phyllis also became ardent UMass football and basketball fans, through the good and not-so-good years alike. Clad in Maroon and White, they shared many exuberant hours cheering in the stands with their friends. Lester is survived by his wife of 58 years, Phyllis Burrill Whitney, by his seven children; Marcia, Mark, Scott and wife Kathryn, Dean and wife Karla, David, John and wife Patty, Steven and wife Suzanne, and by 4 grandchildren; Todd, Chris, Emily and Julia. He is also survived by brothers Marcelle, Walter and Dan in Bangor/Hampden ME and sister Aline Patterson of Springfield IL. His cheerful can-do attitude and generosity of spirit will be missed by his family, his many friends, but most especially, his best friend Phyllis. Visiting hours will be held at Douglas Funeral Home in Amherst, on Wednesday August 6th from 5-8 PM. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, August 7th at South Congregational Church at 2 PM, followed by a brief reception. In lieu of flowers, it is the request of the family that a gift be made to:Dana Farber Cancer Institute Sarcoma Clinic 44 Binney St. Suite D 1212 Boston MA 02115-6084 Obituary and register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Lester Frank Whitney AMHERST, Mass. - Lester Frank Whitney, 80, of 48 Jeffrey Lane, died unexpectedly in the early morning hours of July 31, 2008, after a prolonged stay at Brigham Women's Hospital, Boston. Lester was born March 21, 1928, in New Bedford, Mass., to Walter and Orasie LaPointe Whitney, but grew up in Hampden on the family farm. Lester graduated from Hampden Academy, Class of 1945, and went to the University of Maine, Orono, for his bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering. He earned both a master's and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University, and had lived for the last 49 years in Amherst, Mass. Lester is survived by his wife of 58 years, Phyllis Burrill Whitney, originally of Brewer; seven children and four grandchildren. He is also survived by brothers, Marcelle, Walter and Dan, all of Bangor and Hampden; and sister, Aline Henry of Morton, Ill. For a complete obituary and to register, please visit www.douglassfuneral.com. Bangor Daily News^1,9