Karl Whittington

Karl Whittington died on October 1, 2026, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, due to chronic kidney failure. He was a native of Nephi, Utah, born in nearby Payson. He was the son of Pat K. and Ruby Bowers Whittington, born minutes after his identical twin brother Kent.

The family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he attended Crestwood Elementary School and summers were spent in West Yellowstone, Montana, where his parents owned the Pine Crest Lodge. It was an idyllic time and place to grow up, and with his brother had many “excellent adventures” which mother claimed caused her hair to go grey prematurely.

In 1959, the family moved to Idaho Falls, where he attended local schools and graduated from Skyline High School in 1968.

His love affair with Montana, continued during summers spent on Hebgen Lake, where the family had a summer home– riding horses, fishing, camping, water skiing, and hiking in the mountains.

He attended BYU on a full scholastic scholarship and graduated cum laude in Business, French and Psychology in 1975. During college he worked as a psychiatric aide at the Utah State Hospital in Provo.

He spent two years in Southern France and Switzerland on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He dropped out of the church afterward, but remained a dedicated Francophile for life and often went back to visit.

After college, he worked various local jobs, principally in banking, and was accepted to the University of Idaho Law School, but instead moved to Chicago in 1979, to work for the Federal Government disaster loan program. After two years in Chicago, another year in Columbus, Ohio, and Springfield, Illinois, and San Francisco, California, he eventually settled down in Sacramento, California, where he continued to work for the government. His job took him all over the United States and its territories, from the Arctic Circle in Alaska to Puerto Rico, New England, and Martha’s Vineyard to Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, and everywhere in between. He loved to travel and traveled the world over for both work and pleasure. He said a favorite was St. Petersburg, Russia.

He retired from the Federal Government after 25 years and then started a new career as a municipal finance officer for the Californian Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank where he worked for another eight years before final retirement.

In 2021, he moved back home to Idaho Falls.

He loved antique cars, and with his brother, collected and restored two Model T touring cars, one 1915 and one 1923, and a 1930 Ford Roadster De Luxe Model A. They enjoyed driving them though Yellowstone and Teton National Parks during the Fall and around town.

In his younger years he was an avid skier, scuba diver, and also enjoyed square-dancing as an adult. He enjoyed gardening and would ship boxes of oranges to his family in Idaho, that he grew in his back yard in Sacramento.

He loved history and was a dedicated, exacting and accomplished genealogist both for his own ancestry lines as well as assisting others worldwide in discovering and documenting their heritage, using DNA at times. Sloppy genealogy work by others frustrated him immensely.

He was kind to animals, rescuing and caring for three feral kittens that became his beloved pets.

He was preceded in death by his partner, Ronald Shaw who passed away in 1990; his parents; sisters, Mary TeNgaio (Kingi, deceased), and Linda Whittington; nephew, Kenneth TeNgaio; niece, Laura Clifford; grand-nieces, Elise Whittington and Catherine Heinhold; and cats, Flossie and Coco.

He is survived by two sisters, Barbara Stommel (Roger) and Patty Huston (Jim, deceased); brothers, Kent (Joan) and Dr. Brien Whittington (Jane); and his cat Fanny, along with numerous nieces and nephews.

At his request there will be no funeral, but the family and friends are invited to gather at Wood Funeral Home, 273 N. Ridge Avenue in Idaho Falls, on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 7-8:30 p.m.. Burial will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, 2026, in the family plot in Vine Bluff Cemetery, Nephi, Utah, where a graveside service will be held.

In lieu of flowers if you wish please donate to your favorite charity or cause.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.woodfuneralhome.com.