Kevin and Lori Whitaker called the Hickory Stake their home for many wonderful years before a work-related transfer in 2008 took the family to Texas. Kevin served as Stake President of the Hickory Stake from November 2004 to November 2008. He was called and set apart to the position by Elder Quentin L. Cook.
Having been recently called to the Florida Jacksonville mission, Elder and Sister Whitaker have just begun their 18 month assignment to the Gainesville CES. They love working with the great young people in that area.
Elder Whitaker shared: “When I served as stake president, I had committed to retiring as soon as I was able to so we could serve a mission while ‘still in our youth’. We look forward to being here for the next 17 months or so and then seeing what the Lord has in store for us. We enjoy being around our children and grandchildren. We enjoy serving in the Church. Those 2 things will be our focus.”
After their move to Texas, the family continued to be blessed. Kevin and Lori share that their 3 sons served full-time missions. Nathan served in the Dominican Republic, Brett served in Russia, and Luke served in Portugal.
The proud parents are now proud grandparents. All 5 of the Whitaker children were married in the temple and are doing well and the grandchild count is at 7.
Nathan, his wife Amanda, and Indi currently live in Texas, but will be moving to Boise, Idaho in June 2019. Brett, his wife Heather, and children Tucker and Leila live in Texas. Shelly and her husband Calum live in Texas and are house-sitting for their parents. Amy and her husband Jordan live in Las Cruces, New Mexico with children Eva, Harper, and Caroline. Jordan is a resident in orthapedic surgery. Luke and his wife Amy are in school at BYU and just welcomed a new baby in May – Michael.
The Whitakers shared how much they love and miss the people in Hickory. “We love our church friends, the friends we made through school and sports, the friends from working at CommScope for 28 years–the best memories we have are of the people. We also had some incredible activities that are memorable. For example, the youth conference to Nauvoo and the dedication of the Columbia, SC temple.” They shared that while they were in Texas, they also missed the beautiful mountains and hills and the very green landscape of North Carolina. They also missed being so close to both the mountains and the ocean. They still love to vacation in Hilton Head.
When asked if he had any advice for the members in the Hickory Stake, Elder Whitaker simply shared a simple testimony. Keep the commandments and follow President Nelson’s admonition to stay on the covenant path. This is where we will find the greatest joy and peace in our lives.
Special thanks to Elder and Sister Whitaker for their willingness to share their journey since they’ve moved away from the Stake! If you’d like to reach out to the Whitakers and don’t have their email address, let any member of the Public Affairs Committee know and we’ll provide the address. The Whitakers offered that they’d love to hear from the members of the Hickory Stake.
