Mourning the Passing of Friends: Forthcoming Funeral Services

“What we have once enjoyed we can never lose.  All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” ~ Helen Keller

Forthcoming funeral services are planned for the following friends from our community. Complete versions of these obituaries may also be found in The Payson Chronicle.

Weston Elroy Whatcott

Weston Elroy Whatcott, 79, of Payson, passed away July 19, 2018, after a brief but intense battle with cancer.  He was born October 29, 1938, to H.D. and Valera (Snow) Whatcott. On August 25, 1961, he married Sandra (Swapp) Whatcott, who preceded him in death. Together they were the parents of 11 children: Daniel Whatcott, married to Lisa (Hurst) Whatcott, of Burley Idaho; Brett Whatcott, married to Stephanie (Fish) Whatcott, of Fort Smith Arkansas; Jodi Whatcott, who preceded him in death; Sharee Whatcott Langenstein, married to Michael Langenstein, of Murphysboro, Illinois; Scott Whatcott, married to Ramona (Fricosu) Whatcott, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Briana Whatcott, of Payson Utah; Abel Whatcott, of Payson Utah, Rachelle Whatcott Halterman, married to David Halterman, of Salt Lake City, Utah; Liya Whatcott, of Chicago, Illinois; Raman Whatcott, of Fort Smith Arkansas; and Tarikua Whatcott Christiansen, married to Karl Christiansen, of Sandy Utah.

On September 20, 2014, Weston married Kathy Whatcott, who survives him.  He is also survived by 18 grandchildren and six great grandchildren, as well as his brother, Keith Whatcott, of Provo, Utah, and his sister Carol Rampton, of St. George, Utah.  His brother Calvin Whatcott preceded him in death.

Weston graduated from Brigham Young High School in 1956 and served an LDS mission in Nuremberg Germany.  He received a bachelors degree in social work from Brigham Young University, a masters degree in social work from the University of Missouri, and a PhD in social work from Washington University in St. Louis. He spent his career helping those in need. He counseled people through their grief and helped them work through difficulties in their lives. He founded and supported battered women’s shelters in multiple cities. He worked at the Utah State Hospital in Provo, and later became director of inmate counseling at the Utah State Prison in Draper.

One of Weston’s passions in life was bringing families together through adoption.  He was an adoptive father and grandfather, and over the course of his career he helped to facilitate over 1000 adoptions, including airlifts of children orphaned in the Vietnam War.  He orchestrated the construction of an orphanage in Haiti, which has provided food, shelter, and adoption services to hundreds of children in need. He was also the founder of West Sands Adoptions, now based in St. George Utah.  Adoption agencies nationwide have consulted him because of his expertise in the field. Even after his retirement, Weston continued to complete home studies for adoptive families across the Wasatch Front.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 25, at the Maple Dell Ward, 274 South Main Street, Payson. Viewings will be held on Tuesday, July 24, between 6 and 8 p.m. at Walker Funeral Home, 587 South 100 West, Payson. A visitation will also be held on Wednesday before his funeral, beginning at 9:45 a.m.

Weston’s family will remember him for his smile, his jokes, his crazy dance, and of course, his yellow socks.  We ask all those who would like to honor his memory to please consider making a donation in his name to The Center for Women and Children in Crisis, in Orem Utah, or to an international child welfare agency of your choice.