Edith Davis Whiteman Summered at West Chop

Edith Davis Whiteman, the wife of Harold Bartlett Whiteman Jr., died of natural causes on August 15 at the Richland Health Unit in Nashville, Tenn. Edith, known to her friends as Deedie, was 80 years old.

She was born on Jan. 20, 1925, to Maclin and Edith Davis of West End avenue in Belle Meade in Nashville. She attended the Ward Belmont School and then Vanderbilt University. As a sophomore, she was elected Miss Vanderbilt because of her beauty and outgoing nature. A month after graduation she married Harold B. Whiteman and the two moved to Connecticut where they worked at the Taft School. They then moved to Nashville so Harold could study at Vanderbilt.

Deedie gave birth to their first son, Harold Bartlett in 1948. The couple then moved to New Haven, Conn., where they spent 16 wonderful years at Yale University. Deedie volunteered for many organizations and was especially involved in the Red Cross, a family tradition since her grandfather had been Head of the American Red Cross under Franklin Roosevelt. In New Haven, Deedie gave birth to two more children, Maclin and Priscilla. The family moved to New York in 1964 where Harold worked at New York University. In 1971, the family set off for Sweet Briar College in Virginia. Harold was selected as college president and Deedie dedicated herself to enhancing the arts program and student life. During this time, Deedie was appointed a trustee of her alma mater, Vanderbilt.

The couple left Virginia in 1983, moved to Connecticut again briefly but finally retired in Nashville. Besides traveling up and down the East Coast, the Whitemans bought a summer home at West Chop on the Vineyard, where they spent many great summers. Deedie will be remembered for her flair and zest for life. She loved her family and friends.

Harold, her husband of 56 years, died in 2002. She is survived by her brother Maclin Davis of Nashville and her sister Norma Owen of Tunica, Miss.; her three children, Bart Whiteman of Lookout Mountain, Ga., Maclin Whiteman of Nashville, Tenn., and Priscilla Kellert of New Haven, Conn.; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A funeral and interment will be on a future date in Holmes Hole Cemetery in Vineyard Haven.