Denise Tyrone Whatley

Denise is survived by her son, Curtis Whatley; daughter, Anna Whatley; grandchildren Lilly Whatley, Jordan Whatley, and Cassian Whatley; father Ray Tyrone; sister Beverly Welch and husband Kim and sister Trish Fisher and husband Austin; niece Amber McDonald and husband Sterling; nephew Ben Welch and wife Chiarra and five great-nieces, Carly McDonald, Emma McDonald, Reagan McDonald, Harper McDonald, and Kaia Welch.

Denise was preceded in death by her husband Charles "Chuck" Whatley and her mother, Cindy Tyrone.

Denise moved to Beaumont from Chicago as a child with her family and attended Beaumont schools, graduating from French High School in 1974. She was a longtime member of Lumberton Church of Christ and later at Kountze Church of Christ. She liked to help with Vacation Bible School and other activities in her congregation, usually working quietly in whatever capacity was needed, from decorating for events to preparing communion trays.

Denise liked to play computer games and watch John Wayne movies. She had a beautiful soprano voice and loved to attend congregational singing events. She had a quick mind for math and worked in a bank vault in downtown Beaumont for several years. Surrounded by stacks of money and boxes of coins, she helped to keep the cash registers of Beaumont's businesses supplied. Later, after her husband passed away, she went to work as a special needs aide at Lumberton Primary School in order to align her schedule with that of her children's. She retired in 2019.