It is with heaviest hearts our family shares that on January 2nd, 2024, Charlene May Whipple, 74, passed away with the love of her life and family at her side. Our angel on earth now lives amongst the angels of heaven.
Charlene May Roberts was born in Yakima, Washington on March 25th, 1949, to Warren Roberts and Catherine Mann. Char married Gale Whipple on January 27th, 1968 in Elma, Washington. Over the next four years, they welcomed three children into their home.
After Char retired from Timberland Bank, she spent tax seasons helping out at Easter & Stoney and also time tending her first great-grandchild, which brought so much joy to her. She also enjoyed sewing, scrap-booking and many, many crafts during her life time. Char was a member of the CMA church in Elma and treasured her Church Family. Her most favorite activity was, of course, traveling and running around with Gale.
To know Char meant you knew love. Char’s tender soul and gigantic heart was evident everywhere she went and with anyone she met. Her sweet smile warmed a room and her kind heart was felt without question. For as big and gregarious as Gale’s laugh could be, Char’s loving touch was a rivaling expression.
Gale and Char had a love story anyone who knew them marveled at and admired. They cherished each other deeply and built a life together that made them inseparable companions. Their love story was real and filled with all the goodness of life mixed in with the heartaches that kept them close to one another. They shared laughter, tears, triumph, struggle, and at the center of it all, a deep love for Jesus and each other. They built a life trusting God’s plans and walking them out hand in hand.
Char knew the value and preciousness of time and was always willing to spend her minutes in the ways that mattered the most — she was never too busy to make time for the simple things that change, shape and heal hearts around her. Char always made you feel like you had her undivided attention and care. Her selfless love will surely be greatly missed but also a legacy to live on.
Char is survived by her husband of 55 years, Gale; children Kevin (Connie) Whipple and Connie (Mike) Stoney; grandchildren Garrett (Erika),Kenna, and Bethany; great-grandchildren Junior and Grady.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Warren Roberts and Catherine Borden, and by her daughter, Shawn.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 26th at 1:00 p.m. at the VFW Hall in McCleary, Washington.
