Whitney lived the first part of her life in Riverton, Wyoming, before making Odessa, Texas, her home for the second half of her life. Wherever she was, though, home was never really a place to Whitney. Home was the people she loved.
If you knew Whitney, you knew her laugh. It was contagious—the kind of laugh that could make everyone around her smile, whether they knew what was funny or not. She had a smile that could light up an entire room, and she had a gift for making people feel welcome. Whitney truly never met a stranger. She could talk to anyone, laugh with anyone, and somehow make you feel like you had been friends forever.
But more than anything, Whitney loved her family. She loved them fiercely, completely, and without hesitation. Her family was woven into every part of her heart. She was a daughter, a sister, a mother, an aunt, a niece, a cousin, and soon-to-be grandmother—and every one of those roles meant something deeply special to her.
Her greatest legacy will always be her children, Braxton Derington and Markus Parrott. The love Whitney had for her boys was immeasurable. They were a part of her heart that will never be separated from her, and the love she gave them will continue to live on through them.
Whitney was preceded in death by her great-grandparents, Max Dudley, Alta Moore, Roland and Frieda Peltz; her grandfathers, Jack Parrott, Sr., Roy Neukam, and Earl Weatherford; and her aunt, Kirstan Neukam.
She leaves behind a family who loved her deeply: her father, Jack Parrott, Jr., and his wife, Katrina Parrott; her mother, Tamra Parrott, and her husband, Alan Woffard; her sister, Jordan Parrott, and her fiancé, Kevin Dean; her niece, Cymbree; and her nephew, Brooks; her brother, Christian Parrott; her grandmothers, Jacquelyn Weatherford and Barbara Parrott; her uncle, Corky Neukam; and her aunts, Tina Lyle and her husband, David Lyle; Shelly Boner and her husband, Shain Boner; Debbie Morton; Stacy Babcock; and Leslie Parrott. She also leaves behind many beloved cousins and extended family members whose lives were made brighter simply because Whitney was part of them.
One of the sweetest joys Whitney was looking forward to was becoming a grandmother. She was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her first grandson—a little boy who will grow up hearing stories about the grandmother who already loved him before she ever got the chance to hold him. Although Whitney will not be here to watch him grow, he will forever be part of her story and her legacy.
There are some people who leave this world quietly, and there are others whose absence can be felt in every room they once filled.
Whitney was one of those people.
There will be moments when someone laughs a little too loudly and everyone will think of her. There will be smiles that remind her family of her smile. There will be stories that begin with, “Remember when Whitney…” and end with everyone laughing and crying at the same time.
And there will always be an empty place where she should be.
But Whitney’s story does not end here.
She lives on in her children.
She lives on in the family she loved so fiercely.
She lives on in the nieces and nephews who will grow up hearing about her.
She lives on in the grandson she was so excited to meet.
She lives on in every person she made laugh, every stranger she welcomed, and every heart she touched.
Her time here was far too short, but the love she gave was bigger than a lifetime.
Until we meet again, Whitney.
May your laugh always be heard in our memories,
may your smile always shine in our hearts,
and may the love you gave so freely continue through every generation that comes after you.
You were loved. You are missed.
And you will never, ever be forgotten.
