John E. "Red" Whitmire
John E. "Red" Whitmire, 68, of Glenwood, died Sept. 3, 2009, at his sister's home, surrounded by family and friends.
Red was determined to complete his life with no fuss or burden on others. He appreciated what he had, not taking anything for granted.
He was born to John L. and Opal (Steele) Whitmire on March 26, 1941, in Enterprise, Ore. He was a young boy when he began living on his own and started his life journey of self education. He settled in Glenwood in the late 1950s, working in the logging industry, and became Red Whitmire to all who knew him.
Due to the death of his mother, at age 22 Red brought his sister Debbie (age six) and his brother Ron (age 18 months) to his home, raising his siblings while developing his logging truck business, which he ran for over 40 years until health issues forced him to retire in 2006.
Red worked long hours on the road but maintained his family in the Glenwood Valley. He lived life as a man's man, practicing respect, dignity, and law of the land. Once his day's work was complete (over 12 hours, more often than not), Red became a spontaneous person who loved having fun with family and friends. He would take Deb, Ron and whoever else joined in horseback camping, teaching them survival skills and guiding them about life.
One of his biggest loves was the roping arena that he built for himself and his kids. Red and his family operated the arena for about 25 years. The highlight of each year was the annual Team Roping at the Whitmire Arena during the Glenwood Rodeo weekend. There would be several hundred team ropers at his place and each and every one was invited to have dinner up at his house when the roping was done. After the family closed down the roping arena due to Red's health, he became interested in poker. He loved to participate in the big tournaments at various casinos and made many friends during this time. As usual, every person he met was welcome to come to his home and stay. Many times the kids would see somebody camped at his house and would ask who it was. Red would say he couldn't remember their name, but he had met them at the casino and invited them to come and stay at his place for awhile. His home was always open to anybody.
Another thing Red loved to do was fish, especially for sturgeon. The kids never knew when there would be a fish in the bathtub when they got up.
He formed many friendships, demonstrating dignity, patience, and concern for others. Red never pre-judged people and was fair to all. He taught numerous people how to rope, mechanics, fish, drive, play cards (especially poker) and how to do just about anything without losing his temper.
Red was continually coaching people, waiting for the lesson to be learned. He opened his home to many in need of a place to stay and a meal never withheld. He was a busy man but he was never too busy to lend an ear and leave some advice from his own experience or thought on the topic. He was not a know-it-all, but he would share his thoughts of self with anyone seeking it; to his family even times they weren't seeking it, as he was the big brother, he would tell them what he knew needed to be done. Red was only a phone call away when someone needed help. If something wasn't working properly, you could call Red, explain the sound the engine was or wasn't making, and he'd be able to make a suggestion to make do and get things back on track. Red could put things back together; new and flashy was a waste of money.
Red is missed. Our lives have been enriched by his kind, generous, spontaneous way of life. He welcomed the old ways enhanced by the new ways. He'd often be found watching old westerns while playing poker online in the comfort of his home with company eating at his table. He was extremely independent, graciously adding you to the list to call when he really needed help during his last years, as his cancer treatments complicated his diabetes and infections. No book could outline Red's life as he would break all the rules or guidelines. In his last moments of life, he was passing comfort to those around him, assuring us all that it would be OK and for us to go back to our lives and get the most out of life. He did admit he wished he didn't have to work as hard as he did, but he said, "ya gotta do what you need to do."
Red Whitmire is survived by his brother and sister, whom he raised as his own children, Ron Whitmire and his wife Luann and their children, McKayla and Myles; Debbie Woodward and her husband Mike and their children Ashley Woodward, Arlie James (Woodward) and her husband Don and their children Donavon, JJ, Lily and Kason. Red is also survived by sister Dorothy Kay Bartlett and her husband Ira and their grown children Adam, Kim, Christina and David and many extended family and friends.
A funeral service was held Sept. 9, at New Life Assembly of God Church in Goldendale, with interment at Mt. Adams Cemetery in Glenwood. Memorial contributions may be to Hospice of the Gorge 1630 Woods Ct. Hood River, OR 97031 or to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Oregon & SW Washington Chapter, 9320 SW Barbur Blvd., Suite 140, Portland, OR 97219. Columbia Hills Memorial Chapel handled arrangements.
