Leonard Grant Whitney

Leonard Grant Whitney, 91, of Tempe, Arizona, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 26th, 2022, with his son, Steve, by his side. Grant, as he preferred to be called, was born in Bennington, Vermont on December 24th, 1930, the son of Mary and John Whitney. He attended high school in Bennington and upon graduation enlisted in the United States Air Force. Grant served his country for over 20 years, traveling the world and serving at a number of duty stations. In 1966 Grant was assigned to Williams AFB in Chandler, Arizona where he ultimately moved his family and retired in 1969.

Following some employment in civilian life, Grant retired for good and for the next 22 years spent his time as a volunteer at Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital and for the City of Tempe. He was very proud of his accomplishments both as an Air Force veteran and a volunteer.

In 1974 he met and married a fellow Vermonter, Judith Lee Whitney. Together they lived happily in Tempe for 42 years until her death in 2016. Grant and Judy were very social people who enjoyed visiting with friends and neighbors in the Broadmor neighborhood of Tempe. Grant had a tremendous network of kind and generous neighbors who looked out for him, visited him, and provided meals for him regularly. He was a regular at Harlow’s Cafe in Tempe where he was always welcomed and treated with kindness and care. He was so grateful for all his friends.

Grant has three sons, Greg, wife Cindy; Steve, wife Judy; Sean, wife Susan; seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Grant was predeceased by his son, Sean, his grandson, Wayne, and his siblings, Jim, John, Joe, Mary and Kathleen. Grant is also survived by nieces Pinkie, Candace, Kim, Jan, Tanya, Jill, Lisa and Joreen, nephew Geoff, and all their families.

There will be a celebration of Grant’s life on Monday, March 14, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at Resthaven/Carr-Tenney Mortuary & Memorial Gardens, 4310 E. Southern Ave, Phoenix, 85042; 602-491-9596. Burial will be at the convenience of the family in Maple Hill Cemetery, Dorset, Vermont, next to his wife, Judy.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Noble Hospice and Palliative Care, 2222 S. Dobson Rd., Mesa, AZ 85202. Arrangements under the direction of Resthaven / Carr-Tenney Mortuary & Memorial Gardens, Phoenix, AZ.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.resthavencarrtenney.com for the Whitney family.