William Reid Whitaker Jr.

William Reid Whitaker, Jr., died June 27, 2026, at his home in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 91. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Edith Edfeldt Whitaker; his children, Lang Whitaker and Claire Whitaker Johnson; their spouses, Isabel González Whitaker and Andrew Johnson; his grandchildren, Liza, Megan, Abby, Caroline and Beck; as well as many more close friends and family.

Born in Atlanta in 1935 to Evelyn Kite Whitaker and William Reid Whitaker, Sr., “Little” Reid grew up near what is now Lenox Square, riding his bike to the drugstores in downtown Buckhead. He recalled walking up to Piedmont Road to see these new inventions called “cars,” and riding the streetcars down Peachtree, before the rails were removed to be used in the war effort. His father, “Big Reid,” an executive at Southern Bell, helped start Reid’s lifelong love of sports, taking him to the Atlanta Crackers baseball games at Ponce de Leon Park and roller derby matches in South Atlanta.

A single child, Reid developed an interest in statistics and entertained himself by tracking things like heads or tails when tossing a penny into the air, or listening to New York Yankees games on the radio and keeping meticulous score. Reid attended R.L. Hope Elementary School in Buckhead, then went to The Marist School, at the time a boys-only military school in downtown Atlanta. Reid lettered as the basketball team’s scorekeeper, accompanying the team on trips across Georgia. He was proud to have been known as the best scorekeeper in their league.

Reid enrolled at Georgia State University, where he pursued his inclination for math. As he liked to say, he briefly considered majoring in ladies’ tennis, before his academic career was cut short when he was drafted into the United States Army, just as the Korean Conflict was developing. Always thin, Reid entered the Army weighing 97 pounds, and after surviving basic training in South Carolina, returned home weighing 127 pounds, unrecognizable to his mother as he stepped off the plane.

Most of his platoon were sent to Korea, but due to his ability to type quickly, Reid was nominated for Officer Training School. He declined, and was eventually assigned to Whittier, Alaska, where he served helping track and organize cargo ships headed to Korea. Although Whittier was completely unlike Atlanta — it snowed 9 months of the year — Reid found a community, becoming close friends with the chaplain’s family. He taught a Sunday School class, sang in a gospel quartet, and helped run Vacation Bible School on the base.

After two years in Alaska, Reid received an honorable discharge and returned to Atlanta, where he worked at the men’s clothing store Muse’s, known as “the style center of the South.” He joined First Baptist Church, where he loved listening to the sermons of Dr. Roy McClain and attending all-night sings at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium.

Just as he was settling into life in Atlanta, the Army called again, and this time he was sent to New Orleans, Louisiana, into reserve duty. He fell deeply in love with the city and the region, to the extent that for the rest of his life he incorporated “NOLA” into the names of his numerous fantasy sports leagues.

One year later, following another honorable discharge, he returned to Atlanta and resumed his career at Muse’s, where he managed several stores across the metro area. He returned to an active life in the singles group at First Baptist, and in 1963 he met Edith Edfeldt, who had recently moved to Atlanta from Montevallo, Alabama. After 357 dates (he wrote them all down), he decided Edith was the one, and they were married in 1965.

They spent several years traveling together, from Peru to Hawaii to Brazil to Charleston. They also discovered a love for cruises, which would become a lifelong pursuit. In 1971, the Whitakers left First Baptist Church and joined Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, where Reid was a member until his passing.

Their children, Lang and Claire, were born in the ‘70s. With Reid ensconced at Muse’s, life settled into something resembling consistency, between church, school, a yearly cruise, kid’s sports, an annual trip to Destin, Florida, and regular trips to Montevallo. In his free time, Reid sang in the choir at Second-Ponce, dabbled in counted cross-stitch, and loved being an extra each year in the touring productions of the Metropolitan Opera that came to Atlanta.

Reid worked at Muse’s until the company closed in 1996. Unsure of what was next, he did fill-in work at the Second-Ponce preschool. He enjoyed this so much that he spent the next several years helping teach preschoolers, before retiring in 2002. Edith retired from her career as Second-Ponce’s Children’s Minister a few years later, giving them time to travel, visit their second home in Destin along his beloved Gulf Coast, and spend time with their grandchildren. It also allowed Reid more time to watch the Braves on TV and complain about Bobby Cox’s bullpen management, as well as become a prolific emailer and reader.

Reid consistently modeled honesty and generosity, and he believed that God had blessed him in ways that he couldn’t always explain. Reid’s lesson to us was to find your priorities and then cling to them. He showed us, his family, that being kind mattered, and he strived to be well-liked. Reid willingly sacrificed and made so much possible for others in his life, right up until his death. He left us with grace and with gratitude, and we are proud to have known and loved him.

His burial will be held on Thursday, July 9. On Friday, July 10, please join us for a celebration of Reid’s life at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, at 11:00 a.m., with a reception to follow. The family encourages you to wear colors in honor of Reid’s light and life. In lieu of flowers, Reid asked that memorial contributions be made to Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church.