William Whitaker

Obituary for
William Ferrin Whitaker Jr.

William Ferrin Whitaker, Jr. 1943-2018, beloved husband, father, brother, friend and mentor, passed away Tuesday, March 6, 2018 from complications following open heart surgery.

Born March 5, 1943, in Chicago, Ill, to William Ferrin Whitaker, Sr. and Martha Elizabeth Bassett, he and his three older sisters grew up in Wilmette, IL, La Jolla, CA, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA and Midway, UT.

William served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Central German Mission from 1962 to 1964. He graduated from the University of Utah, where he studied with world-renowned portrait artist, Alvin Gittins, whose influence would later inspire him to focus on portraiture.

In 1965 he married Jenny Marie Lind and moved to Los Angeles where he was Art Director for Capitol Records until he was recruited in 1969 to create the now prestigious Illustration Department at Brigham Young University. After 12 years at BYU, he had built a national reputation as a professional fine artist and left the University in 1981 to paint-full time in his private studio. In 1985, William and his family moved to Arizona, where he lived and painted at his studio in the Southwest. He and Jenny are the parents of Matthew and Caitlin, and were divorced in 1990.

After some travel, including an extended stay in San Francisco, William returned to Provo, Utah. It was there that he met Sandra Jane Phillips, an artist and teacher. They were married on July 27, 1993. Together for 25 years, William and Sandra now look forward, united for eternity, in love, faith, happiness and gratitude.

William enjoyed painting in the natural north light of his private studio almost every day for 37 years. It was from there that he became nationally recognized for his pastel drawings and oil paintings of figures, landscapes and still life.

He had a passion for history, and thought of himself as a visual historian who painted for future generations. “We tend to live as though the here and now is the way things will always be,” he said. “Two or three hundred years down the road, our posterity will wonder how we ever lived through these times. A well-painted portrait, embodying both likeness and spirit, is the next best thing to being there”.

He received many awards including: Cowboy Hall of Fame Watercolor Exhibition Gold Medal Award; National Academy of Western Art Silver Medal for drawing; Springville Museum Spring Salon Directors Award; Oil Painters of America, Distinguished Artist; Governor’s Mansion Artist Award State of Utah, Visual Artist; Artist of America Master Award; and he was selected for the 1981 American Western Exhibition in Beijing, China.
In addition William was honored to have his work exhibited at Prix de West, National Academy of Western Art, Artists of America, Springville Art Museum, Mormon Festival of Art, Utah Institute of Fine Arts, and Snowbird Institute of Arts.

His work is in the collections of Brigham Young University, Church Museum of History and Art, Springville Art Museum, and Museum of Fine Art in St. Petersburg, Florida, as well as numerous galleries and private collections across the country.

He has been featured in such publications as Arizona Highways, Southwest Art, American Artist, Art Talk, Artists of the Rockies, and Art of the West. In 1982, he was featured in the PBS television series “Profiles in American Art”. Because he was a generous friend and mentor to artists throughout the region, he has been referred to as the “Grandfather” of Utah artists and is one of the most honored artists in the Southwest.

He is survived by his loving wife Sandra Jane Phillips Whitaker and their six children: Matthew Arthur Whitaker (Carol), Caitlin Marie Whitaker (Randy Lewis), Daniel George Saydyk (Heather), Andrea Christine Diamond (Benjamin), Nathan Saydyk (Kristi), and Kasha Mitchell; sisters Orma Claire Peterson, Connie Jacobs, Susan Kohler; and 22 loved grandchildren.

He will be remembered and honored by his family, friends, fellow artists and church members on Thursday, March 15, 2018 from 5:30-9:00 p.m. at Nelson Family Mortuary, 4780 N. University Avenue, Provo. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, March 16, 2018 following a viewing from 10-10:45 a.m. at the Sherwood Hills Ward, 345 E. 4525 N. Provo. Interment will be in the Midway Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Vision of the Arts Fund (visionofthearts.org) or the LDS Perpetual Education Fund.

For more information visit www.williamwhitaker.com