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Francis H. Whitton JR.
1942-2021
(From Alicia Martinez, Frank Whitton's wife)
“It is with great sadness to inform you that my dear husband, Frank Whitton passed away on June 7, 2021.
He was a very strong man who did not surrender easily and fought every step of the way. He was an ALS advocate who helped others in similar shoes and supported them as much as he could. He enjoyed life at his fullest and had countless memories of sailing and traveling all over the world.
His long battle with ALS has come to an end. We will miss him dearly.”
(As a class, we extend our deepest sympathy to Alicia and her family during this challenging time)
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Janine Amorello (Scensny)
So sorry to hear the news. He was always so friendly to everyone
He will be missed.
Peter M. Aronsson
GodSpeed Frank Whitton.....A really great guy. A very good swimmer (member of the 1960 team) and a very good sailor....we have tried to stay in touch while Frank was in Mexico - lost contact a couple of years ago. Did Frank ever do the swim for ALS? We pledged per lap but never heard back. With Frank around it was always a fun time.
Very Sad....Our thoughts to Frank's wife Alicia and his family....
Peter & Cheri Aronsson
Richard D. Grow
Frank was great pal of mine in the saiiing world. He taught college in San Diego, CA but he would pop up in Michigan at Mackinac time. He sailed for years with Dr. Roy Hawkinson on "Cygnus" a very competitive boat in our one design C&C 35 class which marked its 50th year two years ago. We always referred to him as "Fast Frank" a take off on North Sails slogan"Fast Rags come in Blue Bags". He had thousands a friends in sailing world and served has an IOR boat measurer in the summer months. He fought hard against ALS but couldn't beat it in the end. So long Frank.
Robert E. Guenzel
IIve known Frank since high school and our days at the University of Michigan. Frank was a very smart guy.. That much is reflected in his degrees from U of M and San Diego state University where he taught for a number of years. He was friendly, outgoing and a lot of fun. We bonded over. Michigan sports, primarily basketball and football. We had many long conversations about how those teams were doing and what the coaches might do differently. Frank loved sailing and was an accomplished sailor. We became especially close during the last years of his battle with ALS. Not only was he a fighter for his own health, but he saw a role in raising money for research into ALS in hopes of helping others. He founded theALS Center for Care FreeGiving in SanDiego whose mission statement was: "collect funds from donations through charity events to provide financial grants directly to people with ALS. Also to spread awareness because awareness will provide funds for research leading to a cure." His direct fundraising included swimming many laps of the pool. He believed that exercise and fun could help him stay strong as long as possible. Frank's phone calls from California will be missed.
--Bob Guenzel