FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz. – Esther Whitaker, 88, of Fountain Hills, Ariz., passed away peacefully on Feb. 6, 2020. Esther was born on March 10, 1931, the middle daughter of Joel D. and Eleanor R. King in Portland, Maine.

After graduating Falmouth High School in 1949, and Northeastern Business College, she worked for the Veterans Administration in Washington, D.C.

Esther married Richard Earl Whitaker from Ogden, Utah in 1953 in Washington, D.C. They lived in many places following his career in Civil Engineering; Louisville, Ky. (three times), Evansville, Ind., Waveland, Miss., and Calvert City, Ky.. Richard predeceased her in 1971.

Esther moved from Falmouth, Maine to Fountain Hills in 1998 where she was active as a volunteer and at the F.H. Senior Center. Esther will be remembered most for her friendliness and desire to help others, as well as her incredible memory.

Esther is survived by her three children, JoEllen Whitaker, widow of Mark McLaughlin, Omaha, Neb., Eric Daniel Whitaker (Karon), San Marcos, Calif., and Andrew Capson Whitaker (Helena), Scottsdale, Ariz.; three grandchildren, Melissa Whitaker, Ryan Whitaker, and Brian Lewis. Also surviving are sister Tina Noyes (Lester) in Falmouth, Barbara DeVault (widow of Robert) in Clarkdale, Ariz., and Arthur Warburg, widower of sister Madeline Warburg in Encino, Calif.

At Esther’s request the service will be private.

Esther will be buried in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Ky. Arrangements by Messinger’s Mortuary in Fountain Hills, Ariz.

Donations can be made to: Hospice of the Valley