Richard Whisenant

Richard “Duke” Whisenant, 82, of Platteville, Wisconsin, died on Saturday, June 26, 2021 at Southwest Health Center, Platteville. Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 1, 2021 at St. Rose Catholic Church, Cuba City. Fr. Dave Flanagan will officiate. Burial will be at Greenwood Cemetery, Platteville. The Melby Funeral Home & Crematory, Platteville, is serving the family. Memorials may be made to the Duke Whisenant Memorial Fund, which can be mailed to the funeral home at PO Box 245, Platteville, WI 53818. Online condolences may be made at www.melbyfh.com.

Duke was born on November 6, 1938 in Maiden, North Carolina, the son of John Alexander and Mary (Hart) Whisenant. He graduated from Maiden High School in 1957, attended North Carolina State University for two years and then transferred to the University of Missouri – Rolla where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Petroleum Engineering. Duke then entered the US Navy via Officer Candidate School, and served for seven years, including a tour in Viet Nam as the Weapons Officer aboard the destroyer USS E.G. Small. On May 2, 1964 Duke was united in marriage to Norma DiBlasio at the St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Hershey, Pennsylvania. After completing his service in the Navy he earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado. Duke worked as the City Manager of Maiden, NC, Catawba County Manager, City Manager of Newton, NC, and retired as the City Manager of Lexington, NC. He also held several positions on the board of the North Carolina Electric Utilities Group throughout his career.

Duke loved woodworking and enjoyed making wooden toys for the grandchildren. His most treasured piece was a stick- built canoe from scratch, which did pass a float test. Duke also enjoyed gardening, spending time with his grandkids, including taking them fishing (or at least attempting to) and watching them all play sports. And he always enjoyed tooling around town in his little green truck with his beloved labradoodle, Rosie, by his side.

Duke is survived by his loving wife, Norma; son, Brian (Marie) Whisenant and their children, Anna, Anthony, and Adam; and daughter, Daneen (Kevin) Bernhardt and their children, Joshua (Madelaine Disney), Jacob (Raquel Goldman), Ethan, and Maria; great-grandson, Gregory Duke Bernhardt; sister, Mary Jo Dowda; brother, Bill Whisenant; sisters and brother-in-law, Mary Jo Marrese, Clara DiGuardi, and Joe DiBlasio; and his beloved dog, Rosie; as well as several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, John A. Jr; and sister-in-law, Letterina.