Lillian Elizabeth Whitman, 95, of Vidor, died Sunday, August 30, 2015. In her 95 years with us, Lillian touched many hearts and lives. She was born to Lena Mott Wright and Oscar Wright of Port Barre, Louisiana, and later moved to Vidor, where she lived for sixty years.
During her life, Lillian tended everything from children and grandchildren to the family home and pets, and she had a knack for making things grow. Not long before her death, she asked her son, Tom, if he would remember her, and while his immediate response was simply, “of course” he later expounded on just how and why he would remember her. Lillian was a woman who put her family first, and always had time, space, and food for anyone extra who ended up at her table.
She worked hard to provide the best to her family on limited resources, and taught them the value and pride that honest work brings. Lillian had the ability and talent to create from the dolls she made for her grandchildren to the garden she carefully tended each year. He closes his letter to her with a promise we can all echo, “I cannot list all of the ways, but know that I both know and REMEMBER and WILL ALWAYS do so…” We love you. We miss you. We remember you.
Lillian is survived by her children: daughters, Mary Stanley and her husband, Wayne, of Lumberton and Carol Dunnam and her husband, Tommy, of Fannett; sons, Ronnie Whitman and his wife, Judy; David Whitman and his wife, Cindy, of Vidor; and Tom Whitman and his wife, Trina, of Magnolia; ten grandchildren; fourteen great-grandchildren; sister, Roberta Holmes; many nieces and nephews; and beloved caregivers, Verda, Dee, Barbra, Becky, Sabrina, Marcie, and Lori.
She was preceded in death by her husband, George Howard Whitman.
A Rosary for Mrs. Whitman will be recited at 5:00 p.m., with her gathering to follow Friday, September 4, 2015, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, September 5, 2015, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1600 North Main, Vidor, with her interment to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont.
