William Reed Whitten

William “Reed” Whitten, born March 9, 1940, in Dallas, TX and passed away peacefully on January 22, 2026, at the age of 85. His family moved to Virginia when he was eight, and it was at Washington-Lee High School that he met his lifelong partner, Judith “Judy” Whitten. He went on to graduate from The George Washington University and pursued doctoral studies in Chemistry at Georgetown University before moving with Judy to North Carolina.

Reed taught and worked in the chemistry department at UNC–Chapel Hill and later served the State of North Carolina at the Department of Administration in Raleigh, testing paints, waxes, and other materials for state contracts. An entrepreneur and a hands-on engineer, he founded RF Projects and helped install radio towers — including work on the World Trade Center in New York — and supported WCPE classical radio station.

A devoted amateur radio operator, Reed was active in local clubs, served as Emergency Manager and Section Manager for the NC Emergency Amateur Radio Service, and advised the Special Olympics radio communications in Raleigh.

Reed loved listening to classical and blue grass music, and was a talented singer. He performed in the Raleigh Choral Society which included a performance at Carnegie Hall. He was also an avid sailor who raced Tanzer sailboats and cruised the U.S. and Canada with Judy aboard their Rosborough motor boat.

He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Judith “Judy” Whitten of Cary NC, and their daughter Anne Whitten of Apex, NC; his brother Robert Whitten of San Francisco; his sisters Kathleen Whitten Clements and Anne Whitten Sywilok of Virginia; nephew James Whitten Clements; and niece America Jane Whitten and great niece Holland Clements.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions to WCPE, or to the Washington-Liberty alumni organization in Arlington VA. There will be a celebration of life service at a later date.

Memorial tributes or messages of sympathy can be made by clicking the "Add a Memory" box below. Brown Wynne of Cary is honored to serve the Whitten family.