Agnes W Booher

Agnes Whitaker Booher was born in New York City on December 30, 1921. She was the third of five children born to George W. Martin, from Auburn NY, and Agnes Hutchinson Martin, from Philadelphia. She graduated from St. Timothy’s School in 1939 and from Bryn Mawr College in 1943 with a major in political science. In the same year she married Ridley Whitaker, a native of LaGrange Georgia, whom she met in a political science class during her junior year at the University of North Carolina. During World War II, he served on a destroyer escort in the South Pacific, while she worked for Eastern airlines and volunteered at Bellevue hospital. After the war, they started their family while living in San Diego, Charlottesville, New York City, and Washington DC, where Ridley received the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service for his work as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. She and Ridley were fervent supporters of the principles and policies of Adlai Stevenson and active in the Democratic party. In November 1953, after moving to Wilton, Conn they welcomed their third child. Six months later, in May 1954, Ridley, who had sustained injuries during the war, died from iatrogenic causes.

Agnes, their three children, and their faithful dog Rumpus remained in Wilton, where she served on the Board of Education and was active in the League of Women Voters. In 1956 she attended as an honored guest the Democratic Convention, where Stevenson received the presidential nomination for the second time.

In 1961, she married Edward E. Booher, a native of Dayton, Ohio and a publishing executive, with whom she shared a deep commitment to public education and a love of children. They moved to Cranbury, NJ, where she was active in the Cranbury Housing Association, Hightstown Family Services and Planned Parenthood. During this period, she served as a Trustee for St. Timothy’s school, a fundraiser for Bryn Mawr College and supported Ed’s work as the first chairman of the Commission for Higher Education in NJ. She and Ed traveled widely to promote publishing and text-book distribution in less developed countries. In 1976, they moved to Princeton, NJ and began to live both there and in Motovun, a small town on the Istrian Peninsula. In 1986 the Yugoslav government gave Ed its highest award for foreign civilians, an award which reflected both of their efforts to encourage artists, writers and publishers in that country. When she was 69, in September 1990, she lost her husband of nearly thirty years to cancer.

She moved to the Brandywine Valley, where she enjoyed the company of her brother, sisters and Philadelphia cousins for several years before moving to Meadow Lakes in Hightstown, NJ. There she renewed old friendships, honed her bridge game, and was active on resident committees. In 2006, she came to live with her children in New York, a city whose spirit was best captured for her by the Statue of Liberty and the words, which she loved, of Emma Lazarus:

“Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Wherever she resided, she was an engaged citizen and a tireless advocate for education and democracy. She was an inspiring and wise mother, sister and grandmother. She had dear and loyal friends from all stages of her life and continued to make new friends until the very end. During a long and confining illness, she led the way with patience, fortitude and a sharp wit, delighting in sing-alongs, card games, visits from small children, cats and dogs, and flowers at her bedside. “Carpe Diem” was her motto.

She died in her home, surrounded by family and friends, on November 18, 2021. She is survived by her children, Ridley Whitaker (Nina Maric) of Trieste Italy, Dr. Agnes Whitaker and Alexander Whitaker of New York City, her grandchildren Nicholas and Michael Whitaker, her step-grand children Jeremy and Zachary Cutler and by her brother George Martin and sister Fanny Cracknell. Two sisters, Julia Cheever and Pem Chapin and her three step-children, David Booher, Carol B. Cutler and Bruce Booher, predeceased her.

A graveside memorial service will be held for family and friends at Hillside Cemetery, Wilton Connecticut at a date to be determined. Donations in her memory may be made to the NYC League of Women Voters or to Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors. The family thanks you