Obituary of Frederick Whittum

FREDERICK PURCHASE WHITTUM Obituary Frederick “Fred” Whittum passed away on June 27, 2023, at Ditmas Park Rehabilitation Center in Brooklyn, New York, at the age of 88, due to complications from bile duct cancer. During his last hospitalization and to his last moments, Fred was in the presence of his close and loving family. Fred was born on September 19th, 1934, in Boston, MA to Ruth Purchase Whittum and George Houghton Whittum, and grew up in the Wollaston neighborhood of Quincy. He was the loving big brother to Arthur Whittum (Hajia) of Manassas, VA, Sarah Parker of Easton, MD, Eleanor Jones of Silver Lake, NH, and Mary Warner of Halifax, MA. For 60 years, loving husband of Melinda Dixon (Long) Whittum of Brooklyn, NY. Loving father of Marian Jones of Anderson, SC, David Whittum (Dolors Ayala Baulenas) of Sunnyvale, CA, Katherine Whittum-Shrimankar (Hiten Shrimankar) of Ridgefield, CT, and Mark Whittum (Felice) of Newton, MA. Loving grandfather of Jessica Chambers (Sam), John Jones, Sarah Whittum, Dhanesh Whittum-Shrimankar, and Chava, Aryeh, and Raphael Whittum. Loving great- grandfather of Elias Cosmo Chambers. Fred was predeceased by his first wife, Barbara Harvey. Fred graduated from North Quincy High School (Class of 1952), and Harvard College (Class of 1956). An NROTC cadet at Harvard, Fred spent five years active duty in the US Navy, serving on the USS Hornet and as an instructor at Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI. Fred’s service in the Navy was a great source of pride, and he reached the rank of LT-USNR. After the Navy, Fred earned a master's degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where his love of mathematics and analytical methods placed him at the dawn of the modern computing era. Fred and Melinda raised a family in Quincy and then Duxbury, MA, while Fred worked for 20 years at Stone and Webster Engineering Corp. of Boston, rising to the position of Senior Vice President and Computer Department Manager. After Stone and Webster and now empty nesters, Fred and Melinda began the next adventure of their lives by leaving the South Shore of Boston and moving to Brooklyn, NY. In New York, Fred worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for 14 rewarding years, retiring in 2006. Living in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, they were able to host family celebrations, attend concerts and cultural events, and avail themselves of all that New York City has to offer. Trips to Europe, both with children and by themselves, were an ongoing source of learning and enjoyment. Constants in Fred’s life were his love for and support of his entire family, close friendships, a passion for and knowledge of classical music, a love of learning for learning’s sake, good conversation and wordplay, and an ability to assimilate large amounts of information to make thoughtful decisions and recommendations, whether providing guidance to a family member in need or evaluating horses at Saratoga Race Course. These hallmarks and the example he set by them are his enduring legacy. In lieu of flowers, donations to his memory may be made to Brooklyn Chamber Music Society (718-858-0718, bklyncms@gmail.com) or the charity of your choice. Arrangements were made under the care of Blair-Mazzarella Funeral Home, and a ceremony with Navy honor guard was held at Green-Wood cemetery in Brooklyn. Ashes will be interred in upstate New York later in the year.