The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church regrets to announce the death of Bishop Timothy Wayne Whitaker, 75, a retired bishop of The United Methodist Church, who served from 2001-2012. He passed away on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at his home in Keller, VA.
He was ordained deacon by Bishop Edward Pendergrass in the Mississippi Conference and elder by Bishop Mack Stokes in the Mississippi Conference. Later, he transferred to the Virginia Conference where he served rural, town, suburban, and center city congregations. He served as Chair of Evangelism, President of the Board of Discipleship, Vice-President of the Board of Global Ministries, and Chair of the Division of Elders on the Board of ordained Ministry in the Virginia Conference.
While he was Superintendent of the Norfolk District, he became the only person elected to the episcopacy in a special session of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference held in February 2001. He was assigned to the Florida Area.
While he was active in both annual conference and community affairs, especially in services to the mentally handicapped and the homeless, he pursued life-long learning in historical theology with a special interest in patristics.
Born on October 5, 1948, in Vicksburg, MS, Bishop Whitaker was the son of the late Ernest O. and Dorothy Graddy Whitaker.
He graduated from Millsaps College in Jackson, MS, and received a Masters of Divinity from Emory University. He also received two honorary Doctoral degrees from Florida Southern University and Bethune-Cookman University. As a pastor, he served in congregations in Mississippi, Virginia, and Florida.
Tim, as he was affectionately called, had many interests in life. Growing up in the forests of Redwood, MS, he developed a life-long appreciation of trees, skies, and all of God’s creatures. This led him to be on a continual litter patrol in his community in retirement so that others could appreciate nature as well. He also enjoyed sailing the creeks around the Eastern Shore in his small sailboat and cycling the country roads and city streets to relax his body and mind.
As a gifted theologian, Tim was able to read and understand the most obscure and difficult writings of erudite theologians from all historical periods and then translate the knowledge so that all could understand it. He also had a deep love of poetry that fed his soul throughout his life. Tim remained a teacher to all until the end of his life through writings and through his total acceptance of God’s will for him. Through this he strengthened the faith of friends and family.
Bishop Whitaker is survived by his wife, Melba Jarvis Whitaker, two sons, Steven “Scott” Whitaker and wife, Michele of Onley, VA, and Richard “Eric” Whitaker and wife, Mary Thao of Tucson, AZ; two brothers, Clarence A. Whitaker (Betty) of Vicksburg, MS, and Stanley E. Whitaker of Vicksburg, MS; and five grandsons, Thor, Ivan, Brian, Timothy and Richard Whitaker.
A funeral Service will be held on Monday, April 8, 2024, at 1:30PM at Johnson’s United Methodist Church in Machipongo with the Rev. Curtis Lucey officiating. Interment will follow in the Johnson’s United Methodist Church Cemetery.
Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to the Scholarship Fund for Quessua, a cluster of villages, churches and schools in the East Angola Conference of the United Methodist Church. As bishop, he was instrumental in establishing a covenant with this unique place and was asked by the young people there to focus on education for them. Checks can be made to “FLUMC Treasurer” with “Adv # 102020 – East Angola Scholarship” on memo line and sent to:
ATTN: Icel Rodriquez
450 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave
Lakeland, FL 33815
(Source: https://www.unitedmethodistbishops.org/newsdetail/bishop-timothy-wayne-whitaker-dies-at-age-75-18322365)
