Richard Eugene “Dick” Whitman
1930 – 2025
Richard Eugene Whitman, known to all as “Dick,” passed away peacefully on April 30, 2025, at the age of 95.
He was born on January 23, 1930, in Edmond, Oklahoma, to Elizabeth Sallee Whitman and Harry Daniel Whitman. He spent his early years on the family farm west of Edmond, where in the mid-1930s the family built a stone farmhouse on West Edmond Road that still stands today.
Dick began working at the age of 14 baling hay. After graduating from high school in 1948, he went to work for the Santa Fe Railroad, maintaining crossings and switches. When the Korean War began, Dick chose to enlist in the U.S. Navy, where he served in a reconnaissance squadron with the Atlantic Fleet. His military service took him to Malta, Gibraltar, Morocco, Copenhagen, and Greenland. Though he didn’t reach the North Pole himself, a rock bearing his name did—dropped there by a squadron plane crew.
During his service, Dick met Patricia Ann “Pat” Sorrels of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, the love of his life. After returning to Oklahoma, he called her from a pay phone outside the Wide Awake Café on Route 66 to ask her to marry him. She said yes, and they were soon wed.
Following his service, Dick attended Oklahoma State University and began working for Bailey Meter Company. That role brought Dick and Pat to Harrah, Oklahoma, where he helped open the Horseshoe Lake Power Plant and began a long and dedicated career with OG&E.
Dick and Pat made their home in Harrah, where they raised their son, Timothy Eugene “Tim” Whitman. The family was active in the Harrah United Methodist Church and deeply rooted in their community.
Dick was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved wife Pat, and their son Tim.
He is survived by his grandson, Dylan Whitman, and daughter-in-law, Heather Despain Whitman, both of Edmond, Oklahoma; his sister, Clevetta Sue Sloan of Houston, Texas; his niece Meg Sloan Young, her husband David Young, and their sons Peyton and Harris; and his nephew Andrew Sloan, his wife Tanya, and their daughters Elizabeth and Rebecca.
Dick will be remembered for his quiet strength, deep devotion to family, and most of all, for his spiritual gift of service to his church, family, and community.
Services will be at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at Matthews Funeral Home in Edmond, Oklahoma. Burial will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
You were a wonderful neighbor and will be missed. Miss Harley still goes to your house to visit when we check for your mail.
From all of us on Hampton Street, we all loved him like family. He touched many lives from all generations. He was the reason why I tried my first strawberry as an adult! He would bring them over from his garden for me and the “daycare” kids to have as a snack. Enjoyed many conversations with him. Our prayers are with the family during this difficult time. He will be missed.