John Clifford Whitling

John Clifford Whitling, 93, was called to his eternal home on Thursday, October 23, 2025.  He was born on October 31, 1931 at home in Knox, PA, the youngest son of the late Howard and Freda (Etzel) Whitling.

John attended and walked to Attleberger one-room school where his siblings and most of his cousins also attended.  He graduated from White Memorial High School in 1949.

John married Lois Sterrett on May 23, 1952.   John and Lois were happily married for 25 years until a tragic accident took Lois’s life when she was only 45.  After about 8 years, John began dating MaryAnn Lander.  They were married on July 19, 1986 and just this year celebrated 39 years of marriage. 

John was a dairy farmer most of his life.  He and his brother, Ray, operated Whitling Brothers dairy farm beginning in 1953.  They traveled to Canada to buy their first dairy herd. They were up every morning by 4:00 AM to milk except for one yearly vacation week apiece until 1995 when they retired and sold the farm.  They sold their milk to Mong’s Dairy in Seneca. 

John was a member of the Clarion County Planning Commission for numerous years.  He was a member of the Knox Lions club and loved to play in the winter euchre tournaments at the Antler Club in Lucinda.  He also is a life-long member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Kossuth, and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Shippenville, serving on the council many years.

After retirement, John began to tinker with oil wells following in the footsteps of his dad who had drilled some on the farm.  He owned several oil leases and really enjoyed pumping the wells weekly and seeing the “liquid gold” flow into his tanks.

He and MaryAnn loved to travel and drove across the United States twice.   They also shared many trips with relatives and friends especially enjoying exploring the western United States. 

Recently, John “hosted” Thursday lunch dates at the Carriage Inn shared with Ron McHenry and anyone who wanted to join them.  It has become known as John Whitling Day at the Carriage Inn!  They had a good time telling many “stories” and sharing a lot of laughs together.

John’s memory will be cherished by his wife, MaryAnn (Reisinger, Lander) Whitling, his son, Gary (Susan) Whitling, his daughter, Linda (Steve) Reinertsen-Adams, his stepson, Jeff (Betty) Lander, his stepdaughter, Julie Lander, his stepdaughter, Bonnie (Scott) Schmader, his stepson, Mike Lander, his grandson, Christopher (Lindsey) Whitling of Monkton, Md., his grandson Michael (Rachel) Whitling of Tyrone, Pa., his granddaughter Julie Vayda of San Francisco, his granddaughter Jamie (Rick) Acain of San Jose, Ca, his stepdaughter, Andrea Lander, his stepson, Tony Lander, his great-grandchildren Marcus Whitling, Mackenzie Whitling, Sophia Raneri, Charlotte Whitling, Kai Acain, and Orrin Acain and numerous nieces and nephews.

John was preceded in death by his parents, his siblings, Rose (Ed) Henry and Ray (Donna) Whitling, and his first wife Lois (Sterrett) Whitling.

Family and friends will be received from 2 to 4 pm and 6 to 8 pm on Tuesday, October 28th at the McEntire-Weaver Funeral home, 504 E. Penn Ave., Knox, Pa.

Additional visitation will be from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 29th at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Shippenville, Pa.  The funeral will follow at 11a.m. with Pastor Jeff Picirilli officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be given to the Knox Lions Club or Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Shippenville, Pa. in his memory.

To view and share photos or leave an online condolence please visit our website at www.mcentire-weaverfuneralhome.com.

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