Reverend Wayne Whitaker

Reverend Wayne Whitaker, 72, of Warsaw, Indiana went home to be with his Heavenly Father, April 24, 2011 at 3:18 p.m. in his residence, surrounded by his family. He was born on June 19, 1938 in Kenton, Ohio to John and Maebelle (Sturgell) Whitaker. He was a native of the Warsaw area. Wayne married Vada (McKenzie) Whitaker on March 6, 1961 in Niles, Michigan. He graduated high school in Kenton, Ohio in 1956. He was a veteran of the United States Army and served from March of 1961 to March of 1964; during which time he served in Korea, during the Vietnam Conflict. He then came home from the war to work for UniRoyal until 1976. He worked for Pawnee Plastics in Paulding, Ohio and retired in 2006 from Spartec. Wayne was a Pastor, Sunday school teacher, and Sunday school superintendent of Lighthouse Church until September of 1996. He founded Living Hope Ministries in December of 1996. Wayne is survived by his wife, Vada Whitaker, Warsaw; 2 daughters, Michele (and spouse Scott) Wickens, Warsaw, Jennifer Craft, Warsaw; 3 brothers, Jim (and spouse Joyce) Whitaker, Kenton, Ohio, David (and spouse Luann) Whitaker, Bluffton, Ohio, Steve (and spouse Tammy) Whitaker, Ridgeway, Ohio; 5 sisters, Joy Woods, Kenton, Ohio, Shirley Frost, Dunkirk, Ohio, Wanda (and spouse Jim) Crisp, Claypool, Indiana, Linda McKinney, Claypool, Indiana, Vicky (and spouse Joe) Scutchfield, Claypool, Indiana; 3 grandchildren Haley Wickens, Jonathan Craft, and Tessa (and spouse Anthony) Lozano; special sister-in-law, Erma Brandon, Warsaw and extended family members, Rachel Howard, Rick Addair and Donnie (and spouse Rindy) Hamby. He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother. Visitation will be Wednesday April 27, 2011, from 2-8 p.m. at Living Hope Ministries Church, Warsaw. The services will be held at Living Hope Ministries Church, Warsaw on Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 11:00 a.m with Pastor Don Gibson of Tennessee and Lewis Shepherd officiating the service. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery, Warsaw. The family requests memorial contributions are to be made to:Kosciusko County Home Care and Hospice P.O. 1196Warsaw, Indiana 46581