Rev. Roland Edgar Whitaker
January 17, 1927 ~ December 10, 2016
Resided in:
Ashevialle, NC
Asheville Butterfly Trail
The Rev. Roland Edgar Whitaker, 89, passed away Saturday, December 10, 2016.
A native of Buncombe County, he was the son of the late William E. and Dorcas Dotson Whitaker and was also preceded in death by his son, David E. Whitaker and his brother, Wesley Whitaker.
Rev. Whitaker was the pastor of the Yellow Hill Baptist Church in Cherokee for 23 years and currently a member of Wright's Creek Baptist Church in Cherokee. He was a retired sales manager with the Eli Whitt Wholesale Center and former owner of Whitt Knife Sales. He was a U.S. Army veteran and a former Special Deputy with the Buncombe County Sheriff's Department.
He is survived by his wife of 72 Years, Ruby Lee Baldwin Whitaker; two daughters, Wanda Penland and Teresa Hudson, both of Asheville; four grandchildren; three great grandchildren and two sisters, Ruby Mathews and Mary Ella Wolfe, both of Asheville and a number of nieces and nephews.
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm Wednesday in the chapel of Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian. The family will receive friends from 12:30 until 2 at the funeral home. Interment will be private.
Flowers are welcome or donations may be made to the Gideons International, PO Box 1506, Asheville, NC 28802.
Praying for you Ruby, Wanda & Teresa that God will surround you with His love and give you peace in the coming days. I think of all the times that we had the priviledge to be a part of Roland’s ministry to help win souls. We love you all and will never forget the love Roland showed to our family and how he worked to win the lost souls.. I know he has a crown of righteousness waiting for him. He will be missed more than we can say. God Bless you all. Rev Norman & Carolyn Williams Halford.
Ruby, Wanda and Teresa,
So sorry to hear of the passing of Roland. He was a fine Christian
man. May the Lord sustain you during this time.
Our sincere sympathy to all the family. Preacher Whitaker was a blessing to be around. He did both Don’s parents funeral. May God comfort you all.
Mrs. Whitaker and Family, I was sorry to hear of Rev. Whitaker’s passing. He was such a good person. He meant a lot to our family. I appreciated so much you both stopping by when Dad and Mom, Glenn and Lardell Keener, passed away. I know he prayed a lot of prayers for my Dad to come to know the Lord and now they are both walking in Heaven and praising Jesus. May you all be comforted by God’s wonderful Grace.
Carolyn Keener Caldwell
To the Whitker family, Reverand Whitaker was a great man. When I think of pastors that I know, Reverand Whitaker sticks out the most. He was/will always be thought of very highly in the Teesatuskie family. I am so very sorry for your loss. My only regret about knowing him is that I didn’t know him better but he will always be etched in my memory of childhood religion. I am so sorry for your loss. My prayers be with you and God have mercy on the dearly departed.
My sympathy to you the family. I had the privilege of working with Rev. Whitaker for 23 years at Eli Witt. A friend and a great brother in Christ. May God Bless you and give you comfort. May the grace of God fill your lives.
To the Whitaker family, my deepest sympathies to you. I am very sorry for your loss. God’s original purpose for humankind was to live forever in Paradise on a beautiful earth. Death was not part of that original purpose. Unfortunately, in this world we live in, it is all too common to lose our loved ones in death, and it hurts. However, we won’t hurt for long. John 5:28,29 says, ‘Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice, and come out.’ What this can mean for you is a real hope of being reunited with your dead loved ones. No doubt, that’s a promise that you would like to see fulfilled.
Ruby and family, Our thoughts and prayers are with you. May God bless and comfort you as only he can.
Family your in our thoughts and prayers.
Sam & Diane Morgan