Mr. Olen Gilbert Whitaker, was born on February 10, 1925 in Grant, Alabama to Oscar Gilbert and Vera Kennamer Whitaker and passed away on October 31, 2019. He is survived by his three sons; Torrey Whitaker (Susan), Gary Whitaker, Jimmy King (Kim), Grandchildren; Chloe Whitaker, Payton Whitaker, Alex Whitaker, Ethan Whitaker, BJ King, and Chance King, He was preceded in death by Parents; Oscar Gilbert Whitaker & Vera Kennamer Whitaker, Brother; Jack Whitaker and Sister; Margaret Nell Cockcroft.
Mr. Whitaker was raised in the Mt. Shade area of Grant, Al. He attended DAR school. Although, he only completed the 7th grade before deciding to dedicate all of his time to helping out on the family farm, he was considered one of the smartest men ever known. He enlisted in the US Navy during WWII. He was assigned to the USS Nevada, after it survived the attack at Pearl Harbor. He saw action against the Germans and the Japanese. He fought in battles at Normandy, Southern France, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After his honorable discharge, he attended Gadsden Technical School where he got a trade in auto mechanics. After finishing school he worked at the Ford dealership in Gadsden and later the Buick dealership in Guntersville. During the 50s he built several race cars for teams for short track racing. If a race was on, he was watching.
In 1960, he opened the City Service Station and Towing Service in Guntersville. He worked out of that location until 1986 when he decided to focus his efforts on the towing service and moved to the current location where he grew the business gradually until he eventually retired in 1992. One of Mr. Whitakers quotes “You treat each person the same. Whether they are your best customer or you never see them again. You would want them to treat you the same if you were in a bind.”
