Andy Allen Whitener

Andy Allen Whitener was born on December 18th, 1975 in Talihina, OK to Robert Raymond and Bonnie Lou (Potter) Whitener. He enjoyed his job as a TERO firefighter and traveled to numerous states in order to protect people from death and personal losses. He participated in working with the FBI during the crash of the Shuttle Challenger and helped to recover pieces for their investigation. Andy has also had the opportunity to be a security guard at a Grateful Dead concert in Las Vegas a few years ago.

Andy, our brother, was a very vibrant and unforgettable individual who touched everyone’s life that he came in contact with. A few months after his daughter, Jacqueline Marie Renee Whitener was born on February 25th, 2001, he was overjoyed to find out he was a father. Jacqueline was the love of his life and every picture he took with her tells us what drove him to continue in a life that dealt him one of the worst hands possible. Jacqueline or Jackie, as he called her, became his motivation for life. The joy Jackie brought him surpassed all he had to endure from birth, till now. He lived for her...and now she lives for him and will carry on his memory and determination. He loved his family and did everything in his power to protect us. From his experiences and wisdom, the inexperienced have been saved, which made his life worthwhile. Now he watches over the ones he cares for the most. Andy was very close to our mother and when he lost her at the tender age of 14, he began to search for her which began to pull him in many directions. Now, his daughter experiences this loss of her father at the same age of 14. He made “our” paths clearer, so we don’t make the same mistakes he has made. His expansive “heart” made him very vulnerable to be taken advantage of, but he never held a grudge and never harbored resentment, when most would. He connected us as a family and was faithful to keep in touch with our extended family members by texting or giving them a call. He gave us laughs most personalities lacked and set memories in our minds that will not be forgotten. He came out stronger in the end, lived life to the fullest and will continue to live in our hearts. Brother, we love you! No doubt, we will always be beside you and will keep defending you till our last breath.

Andy is preceded in death by his grandparents, Katy Grasshopper, Jess Whitener and Burl and Lola Potter, his parents, Robert and Bonnie Potter and one brother, Dustin Whitener. Those left to cherish his memory include his grandmother, Melinda Whitener of Hulbert, OK, one daughter, Jacqueline Marie Renee Whitener of the home, two brothers, Robert Anthony Whitener and wife Peggy of Park Hill, OK and Mitchell Dobson of Tahlequah, OK, four sisters, Tammy Click of Texas, Pamela Parra of Las Vegas, NV, Sherry Desouza and husband Paul of Park Hill, OK and Mahalia Whitener of Oklahoma as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins and a host of friends.