Rexford E. 'Rex' Whitney

Services will be 11 a.m. Friday at Waterbury Funeral Service of Sioux City, 4125 Orleans Ave. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery, with military honors provided by the U.S. Navy. Visitation will be held at 9 a.m. until service time at the funeral home.

Rex was born April 24, 1942, in Sioux City to Yvonne Washburn and was later adopted by Everett and Pansy Whitney. He graduated in 1960 from Central High School. He married Sherry Merryman on June 5, 1976, in Elk Point, S.D. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1960 to 1964 on the USS Hornet CVS-12. Rex worked for United Parcel Service for 10 years and later retired from MidAmerican Energy after 30 years of service in 2007.

In his younger years, Rex enjoyed competitive motorcycle hill climbing. He was an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan, and enjoyed old cars and collecting stamps. He and Sherry enjoyed mixed league bowling and dancing. He loved decorating for Christmas, and in 2005, won the Make-a-Wish Foundation's Clark Griswold Award. He was also a member of the American Legion for many years. Most importantly he loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife, Sherry of Sioux City; son, Ryan (Kristy) of Sioux City; daughter, Kris (Jim) Hill of Omaha; from a previous marriage, stepdaughters, Tammy Blackburn (Dennis Livermore) of Sioux City and Tina (Casey) Benton of Sioux City; a sister-in-law, Eleanor Zimmerman; seven grandchildren, Colby Casper, Dylan Casper, Kaitlyn Hill, Collin Hill, RyAnna Whitney, Carlie Benton and Caden Benton; and several nieces and nephews.

Rex was preceded in death by his parents; one infant son, Matthew; and a brother, Romar Whitney.