Bobby Gene Whitaker

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Bio

Bobby Gene Whitaker was born on July 15, 1933, in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, located in Cleveland County. He was the eldest son of Walter Plato Whitaker and Margaret Carpenter. According to records from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Whitaker enlisted in the Navy on November 14, 1951, and was discharged from the Navy on November 9, 1955. Whitaker often spoke about the time he spent aboard the USS Los Angeles.

On September 12, 1957, Whitaker married Gladys Conner. The following year, on August 29, they welcomed their only child, a daughter named Tina.

Bobby Gene Whitaker passed away on April 3, 1982, at the age of 48, and was laid to rest at Mountain Rest Cemetery in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.

According to his widow, Gladys, Whitaker was a modest man who rarely spoke about his time in the Navy. She described him as extremely humble throughout his life, proud of his service, and even prouder when his younger brother, Jacky Dean Whitaker, enlisted in the Navy in 1958.

In 2016, Bobby Whitaker’s military records were stolen from his widow’s home.