Whitney Elliott Neal Jonske was born on May 2, 1984, in Portland, Oregon to Marilyn Saito and David Neal of Tillamook, Oregon. Her family moved to Portland in 1994, where she attended middle and high school at the Catlin Gabel School. It was there that she met her future husband, Dirk Jonske, at the age of 12. Whitney married Dirk on July 14, 2018, at Mt. Hood Organic Farms. She adored Dirk and looked forward to spending forever with her soul mate.
Whitney was always singing and full of passion. She enjoyed the performing arts, particularly theater, music and ballet. Successful in finance and digital product management while in New York City, Whitney’s love of language led her to pursue a goal of teaching high school Spanish. Whitney extended joy, love, compassion and empathy to everyone she knew. Constantly thinking of others first, Whitney particularly relished birthdays. She always made time for celebrating friends and family.
Whitney passed away on September 15, 2021 surrounded by family at the age of 37. Her kindness, generosity and laughter were contagious. She made this world a better place for everyone who met her and she will be greatly missed.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Whitney Neal Jonske Memorial Fund at the Catlin Gabel School.
www.catlin.edu/give-to-cg/whitney
www.CelebratingWhitney.com