Jimmie Clarence Whitaker

Jimmie "Jim" Whitaker, 66, passed away Friday, March 30, 2007, at his home. The service will be at 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday at Capital City Christian Church on Mahan Drive, burial will be at Culley's MeadowWood on Thomasville Road. The family will receive friends and relatives from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Culley's Funeral Home (1737 Riggins Road , 850-877-8191). Memorial contributions may be made in Mr. Whitaker's memory to Capital City Christian Church, 6115 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32308. Expressions of sympathy to the family may be made through the Culley's Funeral Home website at www.DignityMemorial.com. Mr. Whitaker was born on March 12, 1941, in Morgan County, Georgia and was the first born son of the late Minnie Haralson and John Harold Whitaker. At the age of 17, Mr. Whitaker set out to make his way in the world as he boarded a train bound for Washington, D.C. where a job with the Federal Bureau of Investigation awaited him. He started his career with the FBI as a clerk and retired after 35 years of service, 27 of which were spent as a special agent. His office assignments included Springfield, Ill., Mount Carmel, Ill., Jacksonville, Panama City, and Tallahassee, where he finished out his career. After his retirement from the FBI, he was a firearms instructor at the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy, a position he held for several years. He then took a position at Kevin's Sporting Goods, working there until his health forced him to retire. He was a very active member of Capital City Christian Church for 28 years. He served as a deacon and elder and was a member of the finance and building committees. He taught an adult Sunday school class and was loved by the entire congregation. Mr. Whitaker will be remembered as a loving husband and father, a good neighbor and a friend to everyone. He was described by a co-worker as "the finest example of a Christian law enforcement officer.' He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. Mr. Whitaker is survived by his wife, Beverley Barker Whitaker of Tallahassee; a son, Dwight and Mary Whitaker of Hiram, Ga.; a daughter, Pam and John Forrest of Tallahassee; brother Glenn and Lura Whitaker of Covington, Ga.; brothers and sisters-in-law, Shirley and Norman Kruse of New Carrolton, Md., Howard and Shirley Barker of Mexico, Mo., Lyndal and Ruth Barker of Benton City, Mo.; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Minnie Whitaker. Arrangements are handled by Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home.