John Winston Whitmore, Sr.

John Winston Whitmore, Sr. 98, of Yorktown, Virginia passed away peacefully on March 16, 2026. John was born on July 18, 1927 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia to Mary Frances Fuqua Whitmore and John Garland Whitmore.  He was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Elizabeth Whitmore Jones and grandson, Shaun Lee Whitmore. He is survived by his wife of 77 years Ruth Shields Whitmore; their children:  John Whitmore, Jr. (Nina) of Gloucester VA, Kenneth Whitmore (Gina) of Lancaster PA , Elizabeth Hill (John) of The Villages FL and Nancy Mitchell (Ron) of Yorktown VA; Granddaughters:  Shannon Wolpert (Michael) of Lancaster PA, Jaime Austin (Sean) of Gloucester VA, Megan Whitmore of Virginia Beach VA and Karina Fisher (Christopher) of Lancaster PA;  and Great grandchildren Abby Martin (Hunter), Michael Wolpert, Olivia Wolpert and Madilyn Fisher. John served in the Navy and Army during WWII.  In 1948 he began the NACA (NASA) Apprentice School and retired from NASA in 1987.  John & Ruth loved to travel – enjoying two cross country road trips and many winters in Florida after retirement. John was devoted to his family and had been an active member of the York County Volunteer Fire Department and Crooks Memorial United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends on Sunday, March 22, 2026 from 6-7 PM at the Amory Funeral Home in Grafton, Virginia. A Graveside services will be held on Monday March 23, 2026 at 1:00 PM at Peninsula Memorial Park in Newport News, VA.  In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Butterwood United Methodist Church Attn:  James Maitland, Treasurer, 6967 Grubby Road Wilsons VA 23894.