John was born on November 5, 1933 in Knoxville, TN to George and Lillie (Clabough) Whitfield. He served in the U.S. Army active duty from 1956-1958 and in the Reserves from 1958-1962. In 1995, he retired from Yellow Freight in Overland Park, KS after 40 years. He was a current member of the American Legion Post #156 in Paola, KS.
John was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Madaline Evangeline “Eve” Whitfield. John is survived by brothers, Bobby “Joe” and Tony “Rocky” Whitfield; children, Tereasa “Terry” Branson-Corbin, Madaline “Gail” Chandler, David (Kelly) Whitfield, Sheryl “Sherry” King, and Steven (Polly) Whitfield; 8 treasured grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren; and his beloved dog, Daisy.
Visitation will be from 10 am - 12 pm on Thursday, January 31st, followed by the funeral service at 12:00 pm at the McGilley & Hoge Chapel, 8024 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, KS. Graveside services will be 2:30 pm on Thursday in Leavenworth National Cemetery, Leavenworth, KS.