Elizabeth Whitener

Elizabeth Ann Wolfe Whitener, age 86 of Moorefield, WV passed away Wednesday evening, February 28, 2024, at her residence. She was born on October 27, 1937, on Wolfe Mountain, Bass, WV in the 1800’s log cabin built by her grandfather & great-grandfathers. She was a daughter of the late Melvin Paige Wolfe and Hazel Ruth Thomas Wolfe. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Norman “Sam” Whitener, three brothers and a stepson.

Elizabeth began her education in a two-room school at Bass; continued at Moorefield Elementary and High Schools, graduating with honors, later she attended George Washington University, George Mason University and was an Honors Graduate of the University of Maryland, where she earned a Master’s Degree.

Elizabeth began her public work career during high school with Harpers 5 & 10 on Main Street in Moorefield and then onto other retail establishments. She was a retired employee of the U. S. Department of the Navy, Prince George’s County Board of Education, both as a classroom teacher and an administrative reading resources specialist. After returning to Moorefield, she spent several years as an employee of The Moorefield Examiner.

To honor her late husband, father, brothers, cousins, great-grandparents and others, she was a life-member of the American Legion Auxiliary (Post 64); a life-member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary (Post 9606); a member of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees; the Maryland State Teachers Association; a life-member of the Hardy County Historic Society; a past member of the board of directors of Hardy County Public Library Friends; a past member of the board of directors of the Olivet/Oak Hill Cemeteries where she served as Treasurer, Secretary, and Administrative Assistant; longtime volunteer of the Olivet & Oak Hill Cemeteries and the Hardy County Library; a passionate genealogist, compiling and printing family history booklets in remembrance and honor of the ancestral families of Wolfe, Thomas & Evans. Additionally, she was a steward of the family’s cabin on her beloved Wolfe Mountain.

Surviving is her son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Michael P. Riggleman & Kelly Riggleman; three sisters, Lola Crider, Armeda Nosal and Judy Wolfe; three grandchildren, Garrett, Emily & Sydney; two stepchildren and their families, and numerous nieces and nephews

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday March 9, 2024, at the Fraley Funeral Home Chapel, 107 Washington Street with Kris Kimble Poland celebrant. The family will receive friends from 1:00 PM until the time of service. In keeping with Elizabeth’s wishes, inurnment will be at a later date on her beloved Wolfe Mountain.

Memorials in Elizabeth's honor may be directed to the Olivet Cemetery, 192 Olivet Drive, Moorefield, WV 26836 or the Hardy County Library, 102 N Main Street, Moorefield, WV 26836. Expressions of condolences, shared memories and cherished photographs may be left on Elizabeth’s tribute Wall at www.fraleyfuneralhome.com honoring her remarkable journey and the impact she made in the lives of those she touched.

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