John "Jack" Minton Whittington was born on August 3, 1964, to parents John F. and Josephine Belle (Minton) Whittington at Ft. Benning, Georgia.  He left this life on October 28, 2023, at the age of 59 years.

Jack started his life as a military brat until his father became a United Methodist minister.  At that time the family moved to several Oklahoma towns:  Enid, Kremlin, Hunter, Seiling, Tipton, and Leedey where Jack graduated from high school with the Class of 1982.  In 1981 Jack was in an automobile accident that changed his life as he had known it.  He survived the accident, but it left him as a quadriplegic.  After a long recovery with the support of family and friends, Jack went on and furthered his education by attending SWOSU in 1987.  He attained his Bachelor of Elementary Education degree in 1989 from Central State University

Jack was united in marriage to Karen Ann Perry on August 9, 1990, at Drummond, OK. Karen, small in stature but large in heart, cared tirelessly for Jack until she sadly passed away in 2012.   Jack then began a new chapter in his life when he became reacquainted with an old friend Kandi Faye McDaniel, whom he had met in 1979 while attending Seiling schools.  In 2014, Kandi became his care giver and on October 31, 2015, they decided to make their relationship more significant and began to make their wedding plans. He also became a father to Jacklyn McDaniel.

Jack began his teaching career in 1989 as a substitute teacher with the Oklahoma City Public schools. He became a full-time teacher with the Oklahoma City Public Schools in 1998.  Jack was currently teaching at John Marshall Middle School in Oklahoma City.  Jack, or Mr. Whitt as he was called, was a dedicated teacher and truly loved the opportunity to enrich the lives of children through teaching.  He did not want his physical disabilities to hinder his desire to "teach my kids". He respected his coworkers and fellow teachers.  He shared many stories of "my kids" inside and outside the classroom. He would go the extra mile to ensure that each student had the opportunity to learn and succeed.  If a parent was unable to come to parent-teacher conferences, he would go to their home and discuss with them their child's progress in school. He believed that every child was special and deserved the best education that he could give them.

Jack accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and was a member of the Methodist Church.  His faith was strong and guided his life.  He had an amazing voice and enjoyed singing in the choir and performing duets and solos for church services.

Jack enjoyed playing games, watching old movies and TV shows, he was a big fan of Little House on The Prairie, The Big Bang Theory, and Young Sheldon, and he especially enjoyed the Hallmark Christmas movies. Jack was an avid Steven King fan reading all his novels. Jack enjoyed history and driving his van.  He enjoyed driving to historical buildings and houses, he also enjoyed just looking at the different houses and their architecture and design.   Jack loved music and he was not bad at playing the drums. He participated in band and music while in school and church. Jack loved Christmas and all that went with it, he especially enjoyed Christmas music and was known to play it all year long.  Jack was also an animal lover, he loved watching hummingbirds, he just didn't like them flying around in the house which he realized when a bird flew in through the pet door.

Jack was also a collector of shot glasses and buffalos. His collection of shot glasses includes 2 from Italy that a former student brought to him.  If family members, students, or friends were traveling, Jack would ask them to bring him a shot glass.  It was a way for him to experience places that were not easy for him to access.

Jack loved his family dearly and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them as well as his students.  He considered them all as family.

Jack was preceded in death by his wife, Karen; parents, John and Josephine Whittington; grandparents Oscar and Marie Minton, and W.K. and Ora Whittington; sister Deborah Rummel; brother Kendall Whittington; brother-in-law Stevie McDaniel; father-in-law Harvey McDaniel, and mother-in-law Sherry Hymer.

His memory will be cherished by Kandi and daughter Jacklyn of Oklahoma City; brother Larry Whittington and wife Dee of Ponca City; sisters Becky Noell and husband Harold of Enid, and Bertie Holliday and husband Steve also of Enid; brothers Bobby and wife Delia of Drummond, and Wesley and wife Laura of Okemah.

His presence will also be missed by parents-in-law Delbert and Mary Perry of Winfield, Ks, brothers-in-law Jerald and Cissy Perry of Lawton, and Delbert Perry, Jr. of Winfield, Ks, sister-in-law Tammy Schultz and fiancé William of Winnfield, KS; brothers-in-law; Allen McDaniel and wife Anne of Lady Lake, FL; sisters-in-law; DeeDee Curtaccio and husband Mike of Okeene, and Donna Vann and husband Randy of Conyers, GA.

There are numerous nieces, nephews, family, friends, and former students who will miss his guidance and knowledge.  Jack's family would like to thank the many friends, coworkers, and "my kids" for enriching his life on earth.

Jack, Mr. Whitt, will be remembered as a true educator and friend to the many lives he has touched.  As we say goodbye to Jack, let us celebrate the legacy he leaves behind and cherish the memories.