William L. Whiteside

William Lewis Whiteside, “Bill” as he was generally known, was born in the back bedroom of his family home in Morristown, TN on July 12, 1942. Those who knew Bill know he loved to tell a good story. He loved to talk of his early education experiences in a one-room schoolhouse, and the time he spent working on his grandparents’ farm in Bean Station, TN as a boy. There was no high school for Blacks at that time, so he took his high school courses on the campus of Morristown College, right up the hill from the family home. He was taught by those same professors when he completed his first two years of higher education at Morristown College. Needing to earn money for school, Bill spent his summers working in NY and Detroit. He loved to tell the tales of those jobs that helped to shape his resolve to build a different career for himself in education. He spent the next two years at Tennessee State University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in education, then went on to earn a master’s degree in counseling from Wayne State University. During his tenure with the Detroit Public Schools, he worked at several schools including: Ellis Elementary and Clippert Middle as a teacher, Priest Elementary as a counselor, Maybury Elementary as staff coordinator, Wilkins Elementary as assistant principal and Coolidge Elementary as principal. He retired from the Detroit Public Schools in 1997 after thirty-two years of service. Bill had an extraordinary personality, amazing memory and a wonderful wit. He never met a stranger and never made an enemy. After an auspicious first date to the Pink Ice Ball given by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority brought them together, he married Janet Martin on April 6, 1968. They had two daughters, Veronica Lynn and Stefani Loraine whom he taught to love music as much as he did. He and Janet loved to travel and also instilled that wanderlust in their daughters. Bill always had the desire to become a Kappa man and this dream was finally realized when his line, Situation #9, was initiated August 15, 1987, into the Detroit Alumni chapter. He was active in the local chapter through the years and became a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. During their careers, the Whitesides were able to travel to warmer climates, but the Detroit winters finally got to them and they moved to Apopka, Florida in 2003. Bill enjoyed 20 years on his lanai and occasionally splashing in his “get wet” pool. Throughout their marriage, the love of travel took the Whitesides around the world, but Cancun, Mexico had a special place in his heart. Bill liked to keep busy and, throughout most of his life, remained active. He bowled in a league in Detroit for many years and was an avid golfer. In Apopka, he joined a group of like-minded golfers known as the Thursday Swingers. This group, their spouses and family members spent time together on, and off, the green. The monthly Thursday Swingers dinners were a “can’t miss” for the Whitesides. Bill became our Christmas Angel on December 16, 2023 at the age of 81. He was preceded in death by his father, William Finley Whiteside; his mother, Emma Lucille (Lewis) Whiteside; his brother, Jerry Wayne Whiteside; his sister, Brenda Kaye Whiteside; his nephew Cedric Turu Whiteside. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Janet Leona and daughters, Veronica Lynn and Stefani Loraine Whiteside-Antoine (Gerald); niece Kimberly Renee; great-nephew Skyler (Nacole) and great-nieces Jasmine and Cierra along with their families and a host of great-great nieces and nephews.

Tributes

William L. Whiteside

July 12, 1942 - December 16, 2023