Longtime Wakefield Council on Aging director
HAMPTON, NH — Marion H. Whiting, age 91, of Hampton, NH and formerly of Wakefield, passed away peacefully on July 4th surrounded by family.
The daughter of the late Walter and Marion (Galvin) Hickey, Marion was born in Wakefield on April 19, 1933. Marion attended Wakefield High School where she was head cheerleader. She had lots of school spirit and was very active in school and community activities. She went on to achieve her associate degree at Colby Junior College in New Hampshire.
Marion met her best friend and love of her life, Warren “Pete” Whiting at Wakefield High School. They married on April 19, 1955, and were completely devoted to one another for 58 years until Pete’s passing in 2013. The true joy of Marion’s life was her husband and family. She and Pete raised five children in a household full of love. Marion always put her family first and created so many happy times including summers at the beach, attending the 4th of July parades in Wakefield, festive holidays and opening our home to extended family and friends, to name just a few.
She was her kids’ biggest advocate and always there for them. As the family grew, Marion looked forward to visits from her seven grandchildren and always made those visits special. Her legacy as a wife and mother are what truly define her. She will be missed terribly.
Marion and Pete enjoyed a large group of longtime friends but were ultimately happiest enjoying time with one another. Marion’s quick wit and sense of humor kept Pete laughing for 58 years! They experienced trips to various locations around the US and Europe and a yearly excursion to Naples, FL but it was the ordinary times sitting on the deck together, going for a drive or enjoying a dinner out that became extraordinary because of the love they shared.
Professionally, upon graduating from Colby Junior, Marion worked as a reservation agent for TWA at the Statler Hotel in Boston. She paused her career in 1956 to stay at home with her kids until going back to work as a part time secretary for the Wakefield Council on Aging in 1976. In true Marion fashion she grew that secretary position into a full time Director’s title and was the Director of the Council on Aging in Wakefield for almost 25 years.
She was a selfless dynamo who worked tirelessly to help thousands of elderly folks in town.
She went above and beyond because she cared so much. For years on Thanksgiving morning, she and Pete would deliver complete turkey dinners to the homes of hundreds of elderly members of the community. Her crowning achievement as Director was facilitating the transformation of the old Warren School on Converse Street into a state-of-the-art senior center and offices for the Council on Aging staff.
In addition to her post with the Council on Aging she was on the Board of Directors of Mystic Valley Elder Services. She also served as president of the St. Joseph’s Church Parish Council in 1977. The church was destroyed in a spectacular fire in March of that year. As president, Marion was instrumental in the rebuilding of the church, an achievement she was extremely proud of.
Because of her many accomplishments in the community, she was named Citizen of the Year in Wakefield in 1988. She is also a member of the Wakefield High School Hall of Fame.
Marion was the beloved wife of the late Warren “Pete” Whiting. She was the loving mother of Peter Whiting of Deer Isle, ME, Mark Whiting and his wife Tricia of Portsmouth, NH, Paula Creighton and her husband Rick of South Dartmouth, MA, Patti Whiting and her late husband Ashok Daswani of Sedgwick, ME and Martha Whiting and her long-time partner Chuck Lonero of Hampton, NH. She was the sister of the late John Hickey, the late Nina McCarty and Audrey Reidy. She was grandmother of Alex, Lauren, Anand, Andy, Emmie, Margaux and Warren.
Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Wednesday July 10 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Her funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph Church, 173 Albion St., Wakefield on Thursday July 11 at 10 a.m.
Interment, Forest Glade Cemetery, Wakefield.
