Obituary of John Whitney

John W. Whitney 82, of Glenville passed away Friday, September 28, 2012 at Ellis Hospital after a short illness. He was born July 6, 1930 in Schenectady, New York to the late William Francis and Katherine Haskins Whitney. He was a graduate of Cohoes High School and a year later became a lab technician for General Electric. There, he continued his education and became an engineer of gas turbines and control systems. After his retirement, he continued to work as a private consultant. John was predeceased by his brother, William Whitney, as well as his first wife, Patricia Brown Whitney in 1972. In July of 1973 he married the second love of his life, Alice O'Hara Whitney, whom he celebrated his 39th wedding anniversary with this past summer. It was a second marriage for both, but one that lasted nearly four decades, and one that will continue on when they meet again at the hands of the Lord. John thoroughly enjoyed fishing. No matter what the weather brought, you could always find him out on the lake in his canoe on the opening day of fishing season. Also an avid singer in his later years, he belonged to the Racing City Chorus Barbershop for quite some time before his hearing was compromised. He traveled every so often for work or pleasure, but his favorite times were spent with his wife in Key West, Florida. He will mostly be remembered for his simple humor, intelligence and the love that he had for his family. Survivors include his loving and devoted wife, Alice; his brothers, Robert Whitney and Steven Forbes; his children Sharon (Mike Mastrangelo) Wheeler, William Whitney, Mark (Mary Lou) Ives, Elizabeth Beaudoin, Carl Whitney, Michael (Cheryl) Whitney, James (Vicki Garcia) O'Hara and John (Jan) Whitney; grandchildren Patrick, Benjamin and Steven Wheeler, Thomas Whitney, Catherine Shupe, Christopher Whitney, Raymond Mahoney, Samantha Whitney, Jonathan and Samuel Maurice, Patrick and Colin Whitney and Jessica and Jennifer Beaudoin, as well as his son-in-law Paul Beaudoin. Calling hours Monday, October 1st at Jones Funeral Home, 1503 Union St., (at McClellan St.), Schenectady from 4 PM to 7 PM. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebratedon Tuesday morning at 9 AM at Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish,(formerly St. Helen's Church),1803 Union Street in Niskayuna. Interment will follow at Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery, Niskayuna. The family would like to thank the staff of Ellis ICU, as well as the staff on the sixth floor of the Neurological ICU for their care and patience.