Francis Duane 'Bunkie' Whiting
April 2, 1935 — September 4, 2020
Francis Duane “Bunkie” Whiting, 85, of Ely, Iowa, peacefully passed away on September 4, 2020. A private family service will be held at a later date with his final resting place being at Cedar Memorial in Cedar Rapids. Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Cedar Rapids is assisting the family.
Duane was born on April 2, 1935, in Vinton, Iowa, to Leslie and Nona (Knox) Whiting. Duane learned at a young age to work hard to support himself and his beloved wife, Jeanette Anne Helm, whom he married on July 25, 1953, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Duane was an early entrepreneur who owned a private garbage collection company in Palo. He devoted 32 years to Rockwell Collins, eventually moved south and retired from Irving Tool in Garland, Texas. Upon his retirement in 1997, the couple moved back to their farm in Ely where they had raised their three surviving children: Darrell (Jeanice) Whiting, Deborah (Scott) Dawson, and Dennis (Robyn) Whiting.
In addition to working at Rockwell Collins, Duane tended to the needs of their 69-acre farm where he boarded horses, trained race horses, farmed the land and raised livestock. He provided a strong foundation for his family and his hard work and dedication provided the farm as a place where his kids and grandkids were raised and built life long memories. He proudly went by the nickname, Bunkie by his grandchildren: Tracy (Eric) Von Sprecken, RaeLynn (Ashley) Dawson-Jensen, Dirk (Melissa) Whiting, Drew (Melissa) Whiting, Brooklyn Whiting, Branden Whiting, and Brittney Whiting, who he cherished dearly.
Duane was passionate about horses and met many close friends through trail riding on his horse, Baby Doll. He also loved to go fishing in local waters and taking fishing trips to Canada. In his spare time he enjoyed camping, woodworking, crafting, gardening and spending time with his family. Duane had a mechanical mind set and the ability to repair or fix almost anything. He was a hardworking, strong, dedicated, good man who was a generous person to his family and friends. He was proud and honored to be the patriarch, father, grandfather and great-grandfather to his family. He will forever be remembered for his giving heart, hardworking hands and witty mind. One of his many sayings were, “if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”
Although our hearts are heavy, we will celebrate his life and find comfort with the memories he left us, knowing that he is in heaven watching over us.
Duane was born on April 2, 1935, in Vinton, Iowa, to Leslie and Nona (Knox) Whiting. Duane learned at a young age to work hard to support himself and his beloved wife, Jeanette Anne Helm, whom he married on July 25, 1953, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Duane was an early entrepreneur who owned a private garbage collection company in Palo. He devoted 32 years to Rockwell Collins, eventually moved south and retired from Irving Tool in Garland, Texas. Upon his retirement in 1997, the couple moved back to their farm in Ely where they had raised their three surviving children: Darrell (Jeanice) Whiting, Deborah (Scott) Dawson, and Dennis (Robyn) Whiting.
In addition to working at Rockwell Collins, Duane tended to the needs of their 69-acre farm where he boarded horses, trained race horses, farmed the land and raised livestock. He provided a strong foundation for his family and his hard work and dedication provided the farm as a place where his kids and grandkids were raised and built life long memories. He proudly went by the nickname, Bunkie by his grandchildren: Tracy (Eric) Von Sprecken, RaeLynn (Ashley) Dawson-Jensen, Dirk (Melissa) Whiting, Drew (Melissa) Whiting, Brooklyn Whiting, Branden Whiting, and Brittney Whiting, who he cherished dearly.
Duane was passionate about horses and met many close friends through trail riding on his horse, Baby Doll. He also loved to go fishing in local waters and taking fishing trips to Canada. In his spare time he enjoyed camping, woodworking, crafting, gardening and spending time with his family. Duane had a mechanical mind set and the ability to repair or fix almost anything. He was a hardworking, strong, dedicated, good man who was a generous person to his family and friends. He was proud and honored to be the patriarch, father, grandfather and great-grandfather to his family. He will forever be remembered for his giving heart, hardworking hands and witty mind. One of his many sayings were, “if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”
Although our hearts are heavy, we will celebrate his life and find comfort with the memories he left us, knowing that he is in heaven watching over us.
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