Winfield M. Whittington, Sr.

Winfield Marco Whittington Sr., 78, transitioned from earth to Glory on Wednesday, April 06, 2016 at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Maryland. Born on September 22, 1937, he was the son of the late Margaret Emily Whittington and George Williams. Affectionately known as “Wint”, he was raised by his late grandparents, William H. Harrison Whittington and Martina Maddox Whittington of Crisfield, Maryland.

Wint was educated in the Somerset County Public Schools and a graduate of Crisfield Colored High School which later became Carter G. Woodson. He was to become a member of the first group of students to attend the new Carter G. Woodson in the first grade.

Wint was united in marriage to Doretha M. Sutton and would have celebrated 54 years of happiness on July 22, 2016.

Wint was a “family first man” with a strong work ethic and took many jobs that he did not want to support his family. For a while, he picked strawberries, worked security for the Crisfield Housing Authority and traveled on a dredge boat to get oysters. He admitted that he did not know a thing about dredging oysters. In 1970, he began to work at Rubberset, a division of Sherwin Williams Corporation in Crisfield. Recognizing his talents, Rubberset management quickly promoted him from plant operations to become a brush design engineer. He took company seminars to become more efficient with the making of brushes. These courses presented the opportunity for him to travel with executive management around the country and to eventually conduct seminars in his own right concerning the skills needed to effectively construct brushes that would compete with brush making designs especially in China and Japan.

As a child, Winfield was a member of Shiloh United Methodist Church. Growing up in Shiloh was a challenge for him. He could not sing like Rapathel or his aunt, Miss Carletta; or give spontaneous remarks like DeWayne or write plays like his sister Evola. But the one thing he excelled at was prayer. He was a praying man. Even now I can hear Mom Gray shouting from the congregation, “Pray, Wimpy, Pray”, that’s my boy, PRAY Wimpy pray. He later began to visit St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church under Rev. Walter B. Ward and became a member under the leadership of Rev. Alan Gould, Sr. for two weeks in a row, he came home talking about this young man who was preaching “fire”, he said. And I said the next time he comes home talking about this man; I was going down to St. Paul myself to see what was going on. I went; I stayed and became a member of St. Paul. He was also given a license to preach by Presiding Earle Brooks.

Wint became the Man of the Year for St. Paul in 1994 and again in 2004. He was appointed to serve on the Board of License Commissioners by Gov. Glendening and given keys to the city of Baltimore by Mayor Kurt Schoke. He was also a lifetime member of Crisfield Pride Lodge #194 and the elite group-the Cavaliers. He became a part of St. John, Pocomoke Family in 2008 and joined the Brotherhood Choir and was declared the Man of the Year for St. John in 2010.

Wint leaves to mourn his devoted wife, Rev. Dr. Doretha S. Whittington; three sons and one daughter, Winfield “Marco” (Sasha) Whittington, Jr. of Virginia Beach, Virginia., Michael (Arlene) Whittington of Bowie, Maryland, Tracey Colbert-Hutt of Crisfield, Maryland and Jody (Felisha) Sutton of Crisfield, Maryland; three sisters, Evola Maddox, Ethel (Randolph) Taylor, all of Crisfield, Maryland and Shellie (Rev. Frank) Jones of Coral Springs, Florida; grand-children whom called him Pop Pop, Winfield III, Jared-Mycal, Jocelyn, Jasmine, Mikala, Treymane. Brandon and Brian (twins), Donovan, Cranston, Jodi, Brittany, Joel, Ebony, Ashley, Micah, Ashley, Keyonna, and wonderful nieces; Elois Whittington and Evette Hughes, both of Baltimore, Maryland, Elmira (Gary) Brown of Salisbury, Maryland, Sheryl (Lawrence) Kidd of Waldorf, Maryland, Akisha Jones of McLean, Texas and Angie (Verlon) Peters of Hebron, Maryland; 14 great-grandchildren, one great nephew, and other family members and friends.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one son, Philip C. Sutton, two brothers, Ira and Rapathel Whittington, a special aunt, Carlette Whittington Cane, one uncle, Robert Whittington and a cousin who was like a brother, Dr. H. Dewayne Whittington.

A funeral service will be held 1:00 PM Saturday, April 16, 2016, at Shiloh United Methodist Church in Crisfield, Maryland.  A viewing will be held one hour prior.  The burial will be Monday, April 18, 2016 at Springhill Memory Gardens in Hebron, Maryland.