Claire Erskine Whittington

Claire Erskine Whittington was born on September 20, 1957 in Austin, Texas. She died of pneumonia on the 14th day of February, 2022. She was a resident of the Villas at Marbridge Assisted Living Foundation on Bliss Spiller Road in Austin. She lived in mental darkness since her birth. At the age of one year, Claire was christened by the Reverend Sam Baxter at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Austin, Texas in the presence of her family and God Parents, Charmaine and Frank Denius. Her impairment was a constant reminder of human weaknesses and latent bodily defects which were an inspiration to her father. He was an outspoken advocate for the developmentally disabled offenders in Texas prisons while he served as a member of the Texas Board of Corrections. This included a separate prison to house the developmentally disabled and a ban on their execution.

She is survived by her parents, Harry and Mercedes Whittington; her sisters: Sally May, Peggy(Ty) Puckett, and Mercedes Gregg; and her nieces and nephews: Lynn (Ryan) Kasten, Whitney (Zach) Knight, Caroline (Brett) Hairston, Michael May, Camille May and Will (Sara) Puckett, Hudson and West Kasten, Hadley and Evie Hairston, Isla and Alexander Knight.

Private funeral services will be held at the family cemetery in Goliad, Texas. Claire’s pure and unblemished soul has assured her a special place free of disabilities in God’s Kingdom.