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D. Rex Whitney, 88

Rex Whitney was born July 12, 1931 to Kenneth and Hildred (Cyr) Whitney. He passed from this life March 27, 2020 at Cloud County Health Center at the age of 88 years. He grew up farming with his father in Iowa. At the young age of 12 he felt a strong, undeniable calling to a life of ministry of his Lord. He moved with his parents to Miltonvale, Kan., in 1948. Following his calling to become a pastor, he attended college at Miltonvale Wesleyan College from where he graduated with a degree in theology. While there he met and married his wife, Gwen, on December 27, 1952. They were married nearly 60 years when she passed away in 2012 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. To this union three children were born: Don, Dan and Deb.
Rex was appointed to his first pastoral position at the New Hope Wesleyan Methodist Church, just south of Concordia, in 1955. He also worked for Mayfield Electric Company to help keep the bills covered, while pastoring evenings and weekends. They were poor, but happy! He went on to pastor a church near Topeka, where he and Gwen were showered with a new home and generous gifts of meat and produce from his loving congregation. He was later recruited by the church in Belleville, Kan., where he ministered for three years. Following this, his ministry led him to Englewood, Colo., where he grew the youth group to the largest in the Colorado district. He found out later in life that three of those youth were led to also become pastors, a testament to his leadership. He was deeply loved by all of his congregation and lead them to grow in the Lord and in size.
While pastoring in Colorado, he began having cardiac health issues and his physicians recommended that he retire from his career as a pastor, a very difficult decision for him. He moved the family back to Concordia, Kan., where he worked at Cloud County Community College for a few years before joining his father in the family business, Whitney Plumbing and Electric. This was not enough for Rex, he wanted to raise his children on a farm to, so he purchased a wheat field north of Concordia and turned that into the family farm raising wheat, dairy cattle, pigs, sheep and chickens, all while holding down a full time job "in town". He later he sold the business and tried to retire, but retiring was not for him. He returned to work at the Nazareth Convent, and then for several years at Chaput-Buoy Funeral home, where he was able to minister in a new way to people through a difficult time in their lives.
Rex is survived by his son Don and wife Susan of Olathe, Kan.; son Dan and wife Mary of Wichita, Kan.; and daughter Deb and husband Drake of Seattle, Wash.; two granddaughters, Stacy and husband Vincent, and Raeann, and one grandson, Parker and fiancé Jill. He was also survived by recent wife, Maxine M. Smith-Whitney.
A private family only service will be held Thursday, April 2, 2020 at Chaput-Buoy Funeral home with Rev. Dean Frazier officiating. Burial will follow at Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be Wednesday, April 1, 2020 from 1:00 to 8:00 pm. at the funeral home and there will not be a family greeting session due to the current national crisis. The family suggests memorials to the Gideons International, as Rex requested. For online condolences, please visit www.chaputbuoy.com

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Beloit, KS 67420, USA